CLICK HERE FOR FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES, LINK BUTTONS AND MORE! »

1.30.2013

Boogie is 2 years (and 1 month lol)!

I wanted to wait to post a big update on Boogie until after her 2 year check up, and we postponed it until Bubby's check up so we could take them together. My big 2 year old... she has grown so much since her last check up at 18 months. At that appointment she weighed 21.4lbs (with clothes and cloth diaper on) and was 31.25" tall... at this appointment she was 25lbs (with clothes and cloth diaper on) and 34.25" tall. So she's gained almost 4lbs and grew 3 inches! She's still only in the 25th percentile but that's perfect in my book! As I talked about in one of my previous posts, Boogie is doing really well with tot school, though I will admit that it is a struggle to make time for it with a baby in the family! Nevertheless, she's doing great! She knows her ABC's, can count 1-10, knows her colors and shapes, and she's singing lots of kid songs and "adult" songs (meaning the Christian music I have constantly playing around the house!). She can speak in 4-5 word sentences, sometimes more, the only time she has trouble is when she is upset or gets hurt. Seems like her emotions keep her from being able to communicate what's wrong, but we're working on that. She loves to color and read books and she is currently obsessed with princesses, specifically Cinderella!

To celebrate her birthday we had planned on having a larger party with some friends and family, but with a newborn in the house we decided it would be best to celebrate with family. Then we also had a get together with our Flint Family, Boogie just loves playing with her buddy's! So... here are some pictures of my girl in the past few weeks, including two from her party!

All dressed up for her party... and this is her new "say cheese" face... lol!

Pink cupcakes!

She's also big into dancing like Angelina Ballerina :)

Another CHEESE face!




Bubby is 2 Months!

My sweet boy is officially 2 months old as of Saturday, and he came through his 2 month check up with flying colors! He is 12lbs 5oz (he's gained almost 5lbs!) and he is 22.5" tall (2 inches taller!), his development is right on track and he is nursing perfectly. Bubby is in the 75th percentile... which is crazy to me because our sweet girl has always been on the small side! We are still in 0-3 clothing aside from sleepers (3-6), but we will be moving him up to all 3-6 clothing soon, his onsies and pants are starting to get a little snug. I just can't believe how fast he is growing! He's even sleeping 5-7 hour stretches most nights, which is INCREDIBLE. Boogie never slept that much unless we were co-sleeping AND she was nursing. Bubby on the otherhand takes a nap before bedtime, we dress him, I nurse him, cuddle him for a bit and I lay him down in the co-sleeper.... and he just sleeps. I never thought that after all the sleepless nights with Boogie I would have a child who SLEEPS. It's a freaking miracle! Thank you LORD! Now some pictures for you to enjoy :)

First time on my back... he didn't like it for TOO long, but that's only because he likes to snuggle  into my chest to sleep, lol! 

Loves cooing and smiling at his reflection

Happy blue eyed boy!

So handsome <3 td="">

He loves that monkey... 
Happy 2 months Bubby, we love you!



1.27.2013

Fell Off the Wagon...

Yea. And it hurt. After a week of a vegetarian/gluten free diet I fell off the bandwagon? Well, a combination of stress, crazy life happenings, and not wanting/able to make a completely separate meal for myself every day. And now I feel like poo. That's the nicest way to put it. My stomach hurts after eating, not because I've overeaten or anything... I think it's because my body LIKED eating vegetarian and gluten free. I have no idea what to do though, because we just can't afford a complete gluten-free diet and the rest of the family being on a normal diet. I'm thinking I may avoid eating breads altogether, but not be super strict about checking ingredients for gluten... and only eating meat meals 2 or so days a week. J agreed to eating more vegetarian meals as long as it doesn't include tofu or tempeh (bahahah... we tried tempeh, I liked it... him, not so much!). So yea. There's my update on that.

The kids have their check ups on Tuesday so be looking for an update on both of them in the next week!



1.19.2013

Vegucated and Other Things

Yes, you read that correctly. I am no "vegucated"... if you are unfamiliar with the term you can read more HERE. To make a long story short, in the past few weeks J and I have started working out and eating better (mainly portion control) to lose some weight and get healthy... then I watched a documentary called 'Vegucated' and it scarred me for life. Seriously people, scarred. So, I am now a vegetarian... and I also, on recommendation from a friend, have started eating Gluten Free as well. And let me tell you... ouch it's expensive. I don't know how long I'll keep eating Gluten Free, but I will say that I feel amazing. I have energy (as long as a certain little boy lets me sleep!) and I'm losing weight! Since starting our work out journey (I've been doing a combination of 30 Day Shred and Wii Fit exercises... and I even jogged around our circle the other day... that's HUGE for me) I've lost 8lbs... since having Bubby, I've lost a total of 22lbs! So yea, go me! Pray for me (and J!) as we continue on this journey... it's incredibly intimidating and HARD, but I'm determined to get healthier not only for myself but to set an example for my little ones!

Now, onto other things! Bubby will be 8 weeks old on Monday (2 months on the 26th)! And we will be celebrating Boogie's 2nd Birthday with the Flint Family on Sunday (yes... it's almost a month late!). Bubby is going through yet another growth spurt which means he's been pretty much attached to me 24/7. Luckily, when he sleeps at night, however long it may be, he sleeps in the co-sleeper no problem. Boogie NEVER did that, she had to be attached to the boob ALL night! Amazingly... no, astonishingly, Bubby slept 7 hours STRAIGHT Sunday night! That was the end of THAT growth spurt... obviously because of his feeding habits the past 2 days we're going for round 2! Other than that he's great! He's growing, it's strange to have a bigger baby at this stage, he's average (at least to my knowledge) for his age, but he's much bigger than Boogie ever was. He is in 0-3 months in everything except sleepers, in those he's in 3-6 months... but I have a feeling he'll be moving up in both soon. He's smiling all the time now, cooing, and he loves looking in the mirror. My sweet little man is so handsome, I'm completely head over heels for him!

Boogie is so smart, and I know I say it all the time, but she just amazes me with how much knowledge she absorbs. She knows her ABC's, except she always says 'J' instead of 'Z'... not sure why but we're working on that, she can count to 10, and she knows all of her colors except she mixes up blue and purple, and red and orange. SO smart! She's still going through the terrible two's, but I'm working hard on being more patient with her and really I'm just learning as we go!

Now, to hold you over until the next time I blog (because I'm terrible at it lately)...

This kid makes the BEST faces! This was the first 'smile' I caught on camera... it was a big gummy smile and then as soon as I hit the button to snap the picture he did this! Ha!

This is what happens 99.9% of the time I try to get pictures of Boogie now... oy.

First time he tried his Bumbo... he kind of liked it lol

Oh the faces...

Such a goofy boy!

He's definitely a momma's boy, despite what his onsie says.... 

My little "old man"

This is what I've looked at for the past 48 hours... nursing nursing nursing...

My little ballerina dancing... we've already decided that as soon as she turns 3 we're putting her in ballet. She loves it already!

Doesn't he look thrilled?


THESE are the kind of pictures I wish I could get everyday with my sweet girl!

We <3 td="td" time="time" tubby="tubby">

Love this... looks like they're swapping secrets


My brown eyed beauty





1.10.2013

Pressing Onward...

Not going to lie... today flat out stunk. You've gotta love the "terrible two's". Oy! Dear, sweet, adorable Boogie is testing the limits and testing my patience. She has perfected pushing mommy's buttons. I'm trying so so so very hard to stay patient with her, I'm constantly reminding myself that she IS two and she IS acting her age. But good grief! Today was just not a good day. Boogie was just into everything, being naughty (and she knew it... she'd get caught, scream like a banchee, and run away and hide... little booger), being mean to her brother... it just never ended! Bubby was a crying mess, he's GOT to be going through a growth spurt, he was constantly attached to my boob (sorry to be blunt, but seriously... he was) and either sleeping for long spurts or screaming and crying for long spurts. And THEN I about burnt the house down. Yea, not my best cooking moment. I was boiling chicken, yes, boiling chicken. Forgot about said boiling chicken during one of Bubby's long, very very long, nursing sessions until I heard sizzling. So I thought to myself... "What's cooking? I don't remember cooking anything.... AHHH! The chicken!" So I run, with Bubby attached to my boob, unlatch him as quickly and as nicely as I can while he then proceeds to scream his poor little head off, I put him in the swing super fast, grab a glass, fill with water and dump on the chicken because my chicken had boiled so long that the water had evaporated and the chicken was on FIRE. Again, not my best moment. So... needless to say, my brilliant plan for yummy barbeque chicken pizza was a no go. I had no time to make my dough because instead I was opening windows, turning on fans, and wafting the smelly smoke outside. Luckily I was able to salvage enough of the chicken to make quesadillas.

Thankfully the last two hours of my day before J got home were a lot less eventful. I decided to give up on getting Boogie to sit still long enough for tot school and we all cuddled up on my bed, turned on Tinker Bell and relaxed.

In other news... I still haven't posted a real update on Boogie for her 2nd birthday, her 2 year appointment is on the 29th (I think). She's a month late, but we wanted to schedule her appointment on the same day as Bubby's 2 month appointment to save on gas. We just don't go to town as often with the van because gas is freaking expensive! So yea... be on the look out for that as well as a 2 month update on Bubby. Speaking of Bubby, he turned 6 weeks old on Monday. I cannot believe how fast this is going by, I though it was fast with Boogie, but this is just insane!

Anyways, thought you all would enjoy my debacle for the day. Now that my day is done and over with I can look back and laugh, but I can assure you that I was NOT laughing a few hours ago! ;-)



1.09.2013

My Sleeping Beauty

If you've been around my blog for a while then you know how hard of a time we had with Boogie when it came to naps and sleeping. I was adamant from the beginning that we would never allow her to cry it out or leave her if she needed comfort. I guess you could say we practice attachment parenting in that, and really many other aspects of parenting. You read everywhere how children will never learn to self soothe if you don't let them CIO, well I'm here to say that I have proven those naysayers WRONG. We have always comforted Boogie, held her, rocked her, nursed her, loved on her, sat with her... did whatever we could to ensure that she knew we were there for her as she fell asleep. My daughter turned 2 a few weeks ago and she is officially putting herself to sleep without us in the room with her. She does whine and sometimes pitches a fit (mainly during naptime), but she doesn't cry out of discomfort or fear. She lays down, squeezes her Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse so that it lights up and plays music, pulls her blanket up to her chin and lays there until she falls asleep. Granted, there are evenings when she is ornery and sneaks out of bed to play, or sits up in her bed saying, "Mommy. Daddy. Mommy. Daddy. Water? Hungry!" She's figured out how to stretch her awake time as long as possible, but lucky for us we're just a wee bit smarter, lol. On average it takes her about 15-20 minutes to fall asleep. So there. I'm sticking my tongue out at all of these professionals who swear up and down that CIO is the only way to go. We do sit with her or hold her when she is genuinely upset, like last week when she wasn't feeling well. But other than that kind of instance, she's on her own. My independent 2 year old. How did that happen?



1.06.2013

Not A Resolution

I've never made New Year's Resolutions... I think that instead of that we should be making life changes that are achievable and reachable. So, my life changes will be eating better (cleaner and healthier), watching my portion control, sticking with a workout routine, and I hope to lose 20lbs by June! My weight right now is 216, I weighed in at 246 just before Bubby was born, dropped to 230 just after he was born, was 222 at my 4 week postpartum checkup, and was at 216 today. So I am officially at my pre-Boogie weight. My goal is to reach 145 by the time Bubby turns 2 (November 2014) so that when we start to TTC Baby #3 I will be more fit, healthier, and hopefully a little more comfortable! Please pray for me as I start this journey!



1.01.2013

A Year of New Beginnings. Hello 2013!

Here we are! It's officially 2013 and we have a lot of news to share! If you are an old reader then you may have read many entries about my beloved Flint Monsters. The Flint Monsters are 5 beautiful children that I have loved on since the oldest was 3 when I was in high school! Their mother, Janelle is my closest friend, she has been there through high school break ups, emotional rollercoasters in my teenage life, marriage, life changes, and she was even there for both of my children's births and has taken on the roll (along with her hubby) as godparent to my sweet kiddos. My dear friend is getting ready to embark on a grand adventure all the way across the country to Washington, she's following God's calling to be part of an amazing ministry and she needs your help! They can use prayers first and foremost, but they are also looking for donations to help fund their mission to start a Celebrate Recovery ministry as part of Restoration Ministries. Donations can be accepted online via their website HERE or you can mail a check to:
Restoration Ministries
PMB 1202
11700 Mukilteo Speedway suite 201
Mukilteo, WA 98275
Memo Line: Nathan and Janelle

But like I said, more important is that they receive prayers for safety on their journey to their new home, prayers for encouragement, strength, and that they can reach many people through their ministry who need the amazing program, Celebrate Recovery.

We are going to miss the Flint's so much, but I cannot tell you how excited I am for them. This is something they've talked about doing (going into ministries) since I met them almost 10 years ago. Their family has been a major part of my life.. heck, they ARE my family. Not only are they going on this incredible mission but they are also blessing us by allowing us to rent their home. So in April we will be moving out of this apartment and into a home. A real home without  neighbors attached above, below, or beside us... a real home with a yard that we can watch our children run around and play... a real home where we can live and grow and play without worrying how our lives are affecting those living around us. We will have wonderful neighbors (aka Janelle's parents who are honorary grandparents to our children) and we are within walking distance to a great park and library. Can you believe it? We can't! We're looking forward to seeing where God leads both of our families, and doing everything in our power to ensure that our children still "see" and spend time with their godparents and "godsiblings"... whether that's by snail mail, facebook, blogging, or maybe skype! 

We love you Flint Family. Thank you for blessing us throughout the years and sharing in some of our most memorable moments... our lives wouldn't be the same without you in it!