Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Happy 8 Months!!

Oh, our sweet boy!!! Happy 8 months and growing!! :)

Everyone - I do mean EVERYone - comments on how BIG you've gotten!! I love it!!! I enJOY watching you grow and develop and apply all that you're learning!! You're becoming more independent, which I'm all about!! Some fun things about you this last month...

-You are averaging a 6 to 8 oz bottle/formula four times a day
-You enjoy your oatmeal with apple sauce or some kind of pureed/mashed fruit for breakfast and you seem to like Mommy's pureed carrots, sweet peas and some other store-bought veggies for lunch and dinner, combined with some kind of fruit, avocado, etc. I'm looking forward to giving you yogurt, cottage cheese and milk some day soon, too! Of course, I'm excited about sharing my foods with you...every time I eat a sandwich or salad or yummy dessert, such as Miss Melissa's yummy pumpkin bread today, you fuss and reach for it!! :) I know you want it, big man, and you can have all of that so soon!! I'm not sure about the coffee...many years from now, perhaps. :)
-Oh, and Mommy can't forget to mention how great you've gotten at eating finger foods (puffs, for now)...your hand-to-mouth coordination is really developing!! I still, of course, feed you your foods, but it'll be a while until you're able to master a spoon or fork....one day! :)
-Your naps have been shorter these days, which I'm hoping is only a phase...maybe growth spurt and teething related???
-You still LOVE to bathe in your little bathtub! You could soak for an hour, I think! :) Mommy takes full advantage of that in cleaning your room, doing laundry, cleaning your bathroom, etc...whatever I can do while you're soaking contentedly!!
-You are little social man, too! You have a babysitter every Thursday night when Daddy & Mommy go to home group, and you stay in (and I think even look forward to) nursery on Sunday nights at church and on Wednesday nights, while Daddy & Mommy attend FPU. The nursery ladies give us their phone numbers and ask us to call them to keep you!! You're such a ladies' man!! ;)
See! Even Aunt Britney can't get enough of you when she comes to town!! :)
-I LOVE your head FULL of hair. I could rub it all day long...it's so thick and beautifully dark (like Mommy's!! ;)).
-You've gotten so long/tall, too, and I look forward to your next dr's appointment next month to see how much you've grown!! I know you weigh close to 19 lbs, and we'll confirm that next month, as well!
-You're finally sitting!! :) Well, you have been since 7 months, but you're balancing yourself and sitting up so much straighter...on your own! I can sit you down on our living room rug and let you play on your activity mat or with toys for a good while! I get to cook while you're entertaining yourself.
-Oh, and I should mention that you do so well in your independent play time in your playpen each day! You get that 2-3 times per day for about 30 minutes at a time, and that's great for Mommy to get her shower or to just have some time to herself!! :)
-Your two bottom teeth started coming in at 7 months, and they're really coming out and so sharp!!! I've gotten my finger caught between teeth and gums in your mouth, recently, and I pull away, screaming, "Ouch!!" Seriously!
-Another neat observation...Daddy leaves about one weekend a month and sometimes more often or for a longer time period, and you adjust very well (do you even notice yet?) to his being gone and then coming back home, after days of being gone! That's been a praise!

And, oh, how you love time with your daddy! You got to sit in his lap while he was working... (you in your cute overalls!!!)

You LOVE to sit by Daddy's side to watch a movie!! You and your daddy can't get enough of movies! :)
Look at that thick head of hair! I love it! It's even 'whisping' up in the back just a little!! :)
-You're still sleeping through the night, for which I PRAISE THE LORD and sing, "Hallelujah!!" We put you down at 7pm and, although you'll wake up anytime from 5:30am to 6:45ish, contentedly babbling to yourself, we don't come in to get you until about 6:45, at which time Daddy reads to you for about 10 minutes. Then, you get a bottle at 7:00, usually from Mommy, and we get our day started!
-You're officially REACHING UP when we reach down to pick you up! I love it all!!
-I'm SUPER excited that you're sitting in the 'big boy' seat of your stroller, now, when I push your for a walk!! You're almost too big for your car seat! Yay!!! I'm ready to graduate you to the big boy car seat, too! :)
Daddy built you a 'fort' over your activity mat, and you had a great time rolling around under it.
Rhys, you get more and more FUN every single day! We LOVE you, EVERYthing about you! We praise the Lord for your sweet presence in our lives, and we look forward to what next month and following months will bring through you!!!
"Thank You, Lord, for entrusting this son to us, and please continue to groom us and help us, that we may groom and help him to Your glory. Amen."

Monday, September 21, 2009

Tote Info

Evidently, yall have been just as inspired by this tote as I!! I posted it so quickly yesterday (I was single-parenting through the weekend!! Equals a long, sometimes absent-minded-with-details weekend) that I didn't even think to tell yall where it came from...I found it on a friend's blog (after she reminded me about it last week), which leads you to the original tutorial. Also, the fabric is from Joann's!!
Let me know if you have anymore questions out there!! I'm working on a little something to go with this tote right now!! :) Looking forward to finishing and sharing!!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Thursday, September 17, 2009

A Thankful Heart & a Flour Sack

I am so thankful for where the Lord has me and Russell, regarding our church! For so many reasons! In particular, I cannot help but give thanks to the Lord for blessing me with the fellowship and influence of this incredible group of women. They seek to glorify Him in even the 'small' things of life, such as in their attitudes toward life's tasks. Through these ladies, God has allowed for sweet and permanent change in my perspective and attitude and thus good and beneficial change in my life!

If you've known me for any time at all, you know that I enjoy working out! Well, you can only do that so much in a day, especially as a mommy...it burns too much needed energy to push myself too hard all day, every day. I've been praying and seeking a hobby of some kind for about 5 or 6 years, now...something into which I would just absolutely lose myself...and not be able to get enough of it! I used to be that way with studying throughout my school years, but I've not 'found' that 'passion' since. I had not lost hope! :) I was still praying. When we came to RCC, I noticed that most of the ladies/girls :) involved are very talented and crafty. Believing myself to be more of a tomboy, I naturally steered away from their invitations to anything that would awaken talent from within. Little did I know months ago that I was literally RUNNING from God's answer to my years of prayer!! This hit me this Sunday evening, as we were coming home from church! I was so thankful to 'see' this!!

From my recent posts, you can pick up on my new-found hobby and passion for sewing!! I didn't think it could get any better, but I was wrong! :) This passed Saturday, some of the ladies from our church and the Crestwood area got together for a "Craft Day," where we got to 'observe' embroidery and put it to the test for ourselves! After I did my first fun embroidery 'project' that day, I could not wait to do another!

I rummaged through our cabinets and closets and found these great flour sacks, which I knew could be the perfect 'ground work' for embroidery, but I had no idea what design to do! So, I jumped onto the computer and went 'blogging!' :) This friend's site linked me to this particular site and post, which spurred me on to embroider our initials onto the lower right corner of the cloth!

I used a blue pen - what a NEAT invention because it's 'erasable' by merely applying water!!- to draw my letters!I sewed a little each day for the last few days (in between Rhys' naps and even during a class one night! :) I told Russell that I can 'listen' better when I'm sewing, which I've found to be true! Maybe I'm less distracted because I'm not looking around the room? Not sure, but it was fun! :)) And the final product now has a sweet home on the oven handle of our kitchen!A close-up of the embroidery!!

I told Russell tonight that I'm not sure that I'm finished with it. I'd like to add a design of some kind just above our initials, I think. Any ideas, friends?????

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Sew What!? :)

This is what has been keeping me busy these last few weeks! I've just started to sew! I did my first project, a wipes case & diaper holder, about three weeks ago. Encouraged by a very sweet friend, I made more!

I've made them in all kinds of patterns and colors...paisley (pictured below), polka dots, gingham, seersucker, sweet prints for boys and girls. I added the bib to the mix! Anyhow, I've enjoyed the challenge, and my sweet girlfriends have really supported and encouraged my new-found talent!
Who knew I had a hidden art of sewing!?!?! :)Yesterday, I joined a group of ladies to learn how to embroider! I did my first embroidery project below.

I look forward to doing more!

Happy Sunday!!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

See Rhys...

...SitYes, our little man has been sitting for about 3 weeks, now! He's getting the balancing act down. :) And he got his first two bottom teeth in three weeks ago, too!
Why the delay on blogging all this great news?
Because of a FUN new hobby I've just begun! More to come soon!