Happy 5 Months, Baby Boy!

 5 MONTHS OF PURE JOY....
Everyday he does something new that melts my heart. His little personality has blossomed and I cannot get enough of this little stinker!

(Look at my big boy sitting up so well!)

 Stats:
We went to the doctor and he was in the 90th percentile!
Weighing in at 18.12 and 25 inches long!
(He lost a few ounces while sick)

(GRRRR!)

Milestones:

He found his feet and pulled them to his mouth! Now he plays with them all the time!

Rolling over much easier!

Jumping up and down on your lap!

Sitting up for minutes at a time! 

Sitting up in the tub playing with toys 

He is really looking Camden over. He just sits and stares and him. He wonders WHY in the world that kitty will not come to him! "Everyone else is fighting over me!"

Firsts:

Oatmeal/Rice Cereal with a Spoon!

 (Not crazy about eating with a spoon!)

Attempt at a training cup (not too successful)

First time sitting in a highchair at a restaurant!

(As you can see by that sweet face, it was a success!)

Celebrated his first Alabama National Championship win! RoLL TiDE!

(He was NOT in a good mood & would not look at mommy!)

First Snow!

New Year/Firework Celebration

Poppy bought him some fireworks. Uncle Dave had a show too! We covered his ears and he just watched them!

Suffered from his first cold 

 (This is the only way he would sleep... Mommy's chest makes everything better!)

Discovered Poppy's beard

Spent his first nights in his Pack N Play!


Loves:
 Touch & Feel Farm Book

Camden

People watching... he will stare you down!

Mostly the same as last month: hands, feet, Mickey Mouse, T.V. PERIOD!, milk, jumperoo...
AND of course, his mommy;)

Other Updates:

Gage is still eating around 4 ounces at a time, with a snack at times. He gets majority breast milk still with 1-2 formula bottles a day. MOST days, he gets oatmeal with water and a splash of juice mid-morning and around 5:00 in the evening he gets rice cereal. He doesn't care much about either one of them; but we are getting better. The baby LOVES his milk.

He is in 6-9 months clothes, mostly 9 month. He is still wearing size 3 diapers.

He suffered from his first cold. We went to the doctor for his 4 month check-up and the next day he got a terrible cold. He had a horrible cough, runny nose, and you could hear it in his chest. We had a few sleepless nights because my baby could not get comfortable. I cannot STAND seeing him suffer. Let's talk about sleeping...  before getting sick he was back to sleeping through the night with one "paci plug". Now, he is waking up to eat once a night. Hoping my sleeper returns soon!! We had to make the move to the Pack N Play, he was getting a little large for his bassinet. Hoping to make the move to the crib....ONE DAY! I just can't part with my baby JUST yet!:)

This is such a fun stage and I cannot wait to see what he does next!:)

I LOVE YOU, Monkey!

Bath Time w/ My Boy....

Bath time with chunky monkey is pretty much my favorite part of the day. It doesn't take much to make this momma happy!:)

I usually wait until he starts getting fussy at night because it's a guarantee he will be happy during "bafies, bafies, bafies" time (lame, I know)! And that can buy momma a little more shut eye because he stays up a little later.

 He loves to sit up and bat at his toys....

 He laughs and smiles at me while I sing:

"This is the way we...wash our hair, arms, legs" (you get the picture)

"Scrub-a-dub-dub"

"Dry the Baby Off" (written by me;)

 Happy, happy boy!

I love this sweet boy... so much!

Maybe this cutie & his little rolls gave you smile today!:)

Have a BLESSED day!

Breastfeeding... (Part 2: Juggling Pumping & Working)

Returning to work and continuing to breastfeed is always scary for new moms.
Of course, I was concerned but determined to continue.
My goal since pregnancy is to give Gage majority breast milk until he is 6 months old.

I want to share how I make it work to hopefully help ease the minds of other mommies...

In the morning I wake up about 5:30 (I have to be at work BY 7:45, but my goal is to get there by 7:30). 
I get my shower, then strap on my pump with this beauty, the Medela Easy Expression- Hands-Free Pumping Made Easy. Some mornings I feed Gage before getting in the shower, but if he is still asleep I do not wake him). Either way, I still pump while getting ready.
I put on my make-up and dry my hair while pumping. Most mornings Gage is beside me while this is taking place. I enjoy this time talking and singing with my boy! 

My first break is at 10:10. I strap my pump back on and grade papers, check emails, check blog, pinterest, whatever while pumping.

My next break is at 2:05. On the days my students do not have resource, my boss sends someone to my room and I go take care of business! :)

I feed him when I get home at 3:30, then feed and/or pump before bed about 8:30.

I usually tried to feed and/or pump 5 times a day. 

This schedule worked great for us. My supply did not decrease and it was a schedule I could handle.

I could handle anything for this little guy...

 It IS possible... just go with the flow! 
Again, I am very flexible and if I miss a "session" I do not panic. 
It worked for us!

Best of luck!:) 

** This post was written a couple of weeks ago. Now, I am pumping in the morning, once during the school day, and before bed. He is still getting majority breast milk on this schedule as well! He may get 1-2 formula bottles a day.  I am hoping to continue this until 6 months then mommy has reached my goal and I will pat myself on the back. ;)

IT SNOWED IN ALABAMA!!!!!!

 We have been hearing of possible snow ALL week! In Alabama, this is kinda big deal. For a teacher, school letting out early is a real BIG DEAL!;)

Sure enough, it started snowing around 11:00 today. Our wonderful principal came over the intercom and told us we could take our students out to play in the snow for a few minutes. After hearing screams of excitement, the third grade headed out to play!

You can imagine the craziness... AND the wet rear-ends, grassy backs, soaked tennis shoes, slippery hallways, grassy/muddy classrooms ....;)

We got a call that we were being dismissed at 2:00. WELL, the snow got harder, lasted longer, and accumulated on the roads which was not expected. We ended up staying until about 3:45 because parents were stuck, buses could not run, and roads started closing. Dismissal was quite interesting. Needless to say, it was an exciting, eventful day. 

If you ask me, it was kind of nice for a change!:)

Extra time with these girls is always fun!

(My third grade team;)

Thankfully, I made is home safely to spend some time with my little man during his first snow!

Actually, I made it to the top of my driveway. I was sliding a bit and scared I was going to slide into my mom's car!

Our First Snow in Our Home... (I think)

Most importantly, it was our monkey's first snow!!

 (I know, I know! You are wanting to add this idea to your Pinterest boards! Mommy tried to get crafty.... it didn't quite turn out as planned;)

 This was the best we could get. He was not so sure about the snow. 

A little fit was in our near future in this photo!

Look at those eyes though!

Thank you Lord for special memories...

Have a BLESSED almost FRIDAY!

A Few Favorite Pins!

I thought I would share some of my favorite pins as of lately today!

 I love how these photos are displayed... I'm thinking something like this in the master bedroom! Another plus, less holes in the wall!

I feeling this for another pallet project for the husband! This will be perfect under our deck! 

I can see myself taking a nap with my baby this summer!

I am on an organization kick... but I just can't find the time to do it! I may have to wait until summer to accomplish these tasks.

I'm thinking this for the "butler's pantry".

Something like this for our pantry...

Gift wrapping organization for the closet in the playroom!

My scarves are on my nerves! I saw this, but I'm still not convinced on the idea below... but I'm going to give it a try! If you have a better idea, please let me know!

You use this to track your baby's signature yearly. I may add this to his baby book... I'm sure he will really care!haha 

 A few yummies that caught my eye...

Apple Sandwich! 

Slice apple, peanut butter, and chocolate chips! Easy and healthy!

 Yogurt covered strawberries!

Dip them in greek yogurt and freeze!

I would love for you to follow me on pinterest by visiting HERE!

Share your favorites HERE!

Have a BLESSED Wednesday!