new camera=more real pictures!

Clint and I decided to take the money his parents were going to use on us and put it with the money we'd spend on each other and get a nice-ish camera. We really love it so far, and it's nice to have one that will auto focus since our last one is on the fritz. It works about 70% of the time, so we're hoping we can sell it for a little something and recoup some of what we spent on this one. We'll see!

I've been having a LOT of fun with the new one, though! It's so fun to capture our every day lives with something nicer than an iphone.

We spent some time with our friends celebrating "friendsgiving" when we were in Nashville last weekend and we snapped this one there. I just can't believe how big this kid is getting. He LOVES wearing his hood and always asks to have it on, even if the jacket he's got on doesn't have one. haha

We've seriously cut back on his use of our phones because the amount of times he'd ask for them throughout the day was getting ridiculous. He'd spend most of his time on educational apps and has learned a lot of animal names and noises (which are always entertaining), but for the most part, he only gets it for very short times if we've offered it to him. His concentration face cracks me up though!

We got a cuddly Elf on a Shelf for right now, and kid is LOVING IT. He'll come downstairs every morning and get excited when he sees "Felf" and plays with him regularly throughout the day giving him water and sharing snacks. I know, I know, the kid isn't supposed to touch the elf or else he'll lose his magic. But honestly, I'm not too keen on the idea of him behaving just for presents from Santa, so I'm not sure we'll emphasize that part. I see the elf evolving more of a fun guy who comes to live with us for the month of December and likes to do crazy things while Reuben's asleep. Of course, Felf is pretty boring right now because Reuben is too little to understand funny stuff and mama is too lazy to think of fun things when sitting him on the couch is thrilling enough for a 21 month old!

The places I find him nowadays crack me up. And no matter now easy it may be for him to get down, he'll always look at me with a smirk and say "Mama, 'tuck." and want me to get him down. If I'm feeling particularly nice I'll grab him and get some snuggles before letting him down, but the boy somehow miraculously knows how to climb down himself if I'm doing something else. It's amazing. ;-)

We made cookies the other day and this was about as happy as it got. Reuben was in to everything and was over it before the dough was even done. He then decided he HAD to have his craisins leftover from school the week before and threw an absolute hissy fit the last half of me rolling and cutting them out. 

I'm loving this phase of our lives and I'm so happy we've got a camera to capture the sweet moments!

clean house = happy stephanie.

On a normal Tuesday or Thursday, you'd find me sitting on my couch, avoiding doing some household chore like dishes, laundry, or even just pick up Reuben's toys. I've had ZERO energy this pregnancy and you could totally tell by the state of my house. I'm not the most organized/put together person ever to begin with, but it was magnified by about a million these last couple of months.

So last night I had a totally crazy and novel idea. Like, I'm not sure if anybody has ever thought of this before in the history of the world. If I got everything cleaned up and put away before I went to bed, the next day I could TOTALLY relax and not feel guilty about not getting house things done.

Cue the angels singing.

Seriously, this is life changing. I've sat on the couch reading blogs, cooked some biscuits (and already cleaned up after that... WHAT?!), and am now planning on taking a nice long shower and a nap after I get done doing this.

Call it nesting, call it a turn around from laziness, call it what I should've been doing all along, I don't care what you call it. I'm just going to enjoy it for now!

Because I know the second Reuben gets home, it's all going down the drain.

stomach bugs are for the birds.

Do birds even get stomach bugs?

I sure wouldn't wish it on them if they don't.

Reuben had one this week and it was disgusting and pitiful. No throwing up, thankfully, but pleeeenty of other things happened and it was just gross. Not the more glorious of mom weeks.

A WHOLE lot of cuddling was had.

Praise the Lord for Netflix. Daniel Tiger, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Tinkerbell movies got us through. The Tinkerbell movies may've just been for me ;-)

We survived though and now he's a ravenous pig, eating everything in sight! That's a good thing because the boy was getting noticeably skinnier.

Ohhhhh the life of a mom.

I'm BAAAAAAAACK!

Whew, I've missed this place! 

Since moving to Knoxville, I've hardly had any access to a computer. I love blogging and all, but not enough to type one out on my phone. That'd take for-ev-er.

We finally closed on the house (YAY!) and used some of that money to buy me a new computer (DOUBLE YAY!) so now I'm ready to get back in the swing of things.

Knoxville is wonderful and we're so happy here! I'm officially a full time stay at home mom after 15 months of working, so it's taking some getting used to, but we're finding out footing. I've felt like a truck hit me the last couple of days so there's been a LOT of movie watching going on. I know every word to every song of The Lorax.

But seriously, we're loving it. I'm so excited to keep this up to date now!

night off

Last night was one of the most glorious nights of my life.

Clint was out of town

and Reuben was at my parent's house.

What's that? I think I hear angels singing...

But seriously, y'all. I love me some people and some good social time, but I'm an introvert through and through. To have 6 hours totally and completely to myself was one of the best things my mom and dad could've done for me.

I knocked out a week's worth of laundry and purged my closet in prep to move. I decided to toss/donate/sell close to 100 things. I don't know whether to be proud of that or sign myself up for some sort of hoarding intervention.

Confession: I found a pair of Levi's I got in 8th grade. They're hiddeous- two snaps instead of buttons, flares big enough they touch in the middle, covered in paint, and cut up the side since they're 3 inches too long. But they fit. So I kept them because I'm proud I can still wear them.

After I finished the purging and laundry was going, I sat myself down to eat a little bit of heaven. If you haven't had Talenti gelato, go getcha some. FOR REAL. You're welcome.

I got to watch whatever I wanted for as long as I wanted *cough*hours and hours of Law and Order:SVU*cough* and go to sleep whenver I felt like it. I even actually had to set an alarm for the first time in 13 months.

It. Was. Glorious.

But now I miss my boys. I'm more than ready to see them!

I'll leave you with this official toddler. He's walking everywhere now! It's like getting some new, fly kicks inspired him.

Happy Wednesday!

12 little white onesies

It is over.

I got 12 semi-successful pictures of Reuben somewhat close to monthly in a white onesie that may or may not have actually fit.

While I am SO thankful to have these sweet memories (is he seriously the same baby as that little squinty peanut from month one?!), our next babies will have monthly photos taken differently. I had two issues:

1. Finding 12 different, not girly, fabric surfaces already owned to lay him on. I didn't want to spend money on fabric just for a single picture, so I used sheets, comforters, and blankets. I was officially out of non pink or leopard print things by the time December rolled around, so I was super thankful we got a new white comforter and blue Duke blanket. Perfect timing!

2. Having a white long sleeved onesie in the right size every month. It obviously didn't happen if you look at months 6-11-- oops! He just doesn't ever wear a plain white onesie. He had one in (what I thought should be) each size, but if I couldn't find it, we were just out of luck. Once it got to the 20s of the month, I'd start getting desperate and would use whatever white onesie I could find. I think he's in a 6-9 mo one in his 11 mo photo.

Next kid(s), I will do a plain diaper and plain background. I just didn't think when I committed to his month one photo and when I got a few months in and saw how it was going to be a pain, the OCD in me came out and I couldn't change that far in and have photos that didn't match.

So there ya go! I hope you learn from my mistakes...

And enjoyed seeing little man grow up in the blink of an eye!

breastfeeding diaries at The Girl in the Red Shoes

Men- be warned. This is a girly post. You probably don't want to read it or follow any links in it. Might as well exit the screen now.

Ok, ladies...

I'm over on Julie's blog, The Girl in the Red Shoes, today chatting about my breastfeeding journey. It was one heck of a time, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to share my story and encourage women in their own!

If you're visiting from Girl in the Red Shoes, HELLO!!! Take a look around and I'd let me know you stopped by!

life before Reuben

My MIL asks me a lot, "Do you even remember life without him?" And every time I giggle to myself and think...

absolutely.

Sleep. Sweet, sweet, sleep.

Leaving the house with just my keys and wallet.

Staying up past 10:00PM without batting an eye.

A mark free stomach.

Wearing whatever I wanted. There are just some things not worth trying to figure out how to nurse a baby in.

Vacationing with just one suitcase for the both of us.

Managable hair.

Showering leisurely on a regular basis. 

Uninterrupted meals. Where I'm only responsible for feeding myself.

Eating later than 5:30PM.

Reading.

Alone time.



Yep. I remember all those things fondly.

But I can tell you this with 110% honesty...




I wouldn't trade a single second I have with Reuben for one more day of life before him.

costume-less

It's the day before Halloween. Reuben's very first one...

and the kid doesn't have a costume yet.

And I'm semi-regretting trying to save some moo-lah and make his costume.

I'm pumped about what he's going to be. He'll (hopefully) be my only baby this would make sense for, so I've gotta seize the moment. He can have a pre-made and stuffed costume every other year.

But not this one.

So tonight I will frantically cut and sew and hem and glue and trim and try and make something cute out of nothing.

Wish me luck, y'all!

funny baby picture

This picture of Reuben that cracks me up the more I look at it.

The drool covered neck.

The baby comb-over.

The scowl.

The little hand trying to rip his diaper off.



Just the perfect storm of hot mess-ness.

8 months

Weight: According to our bathroom scale, somewhere around 20. According to my arms having to carry him around, somewhere around 47.

Health: Healthy! No sniffles, coughs, or wheezing from him.

Sleep: Teeth have ruined this one. He went from sleeping from 6:30/7:00-4:00/4:30 to only sleeping until about 1:00, sometimes even before midnight. There've been quite a few nights where he's just come in bed with us. There was one night in bed with us when he woke up about every 45 minutes. On another night he woke up screaming, so I sat him up against my knees and got the tylenol ready. By the time I'd put the stuff back in my nightstand, he was fast asleep sitting against my legs. So I did what any mom desperate for sleep would do- lowered my legs and left him there.

 
Social:Getting out and about more and more. He's just a lot of fun to be around and other people love him, too. We went to the zoo 3 weekends in a row and had a great time every time. He doesn't look at the animals yet, but he will one day. I just know he'll love it. Or at least really hope he does because it's one of my favorite places!

Diet: Probably about 80% breastmilk. He's starting to dig solids a little more. We're doing a bit of BLW and some purees. Sometimes I don't feel like sharing my food (selfish, I know) so he'll get a jar/pouch. We try and do solids 3 times a day and make sure he gets a good mix of fruit/veggies. He loves eating what we eat though. So far he's tried: grilled cheese, smoked sausage, hummus, guacamole, tortillas, toast, chicken, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, spaghetti, yogurt, yellow squash, and zucchini. I made him some food out of frozen tropical fruit that I mix in with full fat greek yogurt and he loves it. He also likes his homemade butternut squash with cinnamon. There hasn't been a single food he's refused so far. I'm proud of him!

Clothes: Still growing out of them but fitting in strange sizes, too. He wears 4-6 month stuff from H&M with some 6-9 stuff that swallows him mixed in. Carters 6 months is just about perfect, but the pjs are getting snug. Gap/Old Navy are the only 3-6 month stuff he can still wear, but the arms are getting short if they're long sleeved. I foresee me having to get out his 9-12 month stuff sometime between now and next month. I'll tell ya one thing. He's defintely not in 18+ months! Once this month, he pooped all over his clothes at the nursery and I forgot extra clothes (mom fail) so they stuck him in 18 month clothes. Huge but oh so cute. 

And then another day, I asked Clint to dress him for the day and I go downstairs to find him in a 18 month shirt and diaper. Men.

Baby Gear Love: Still LOVING the jumper. He gets so excited when you jump with him. It's adorable. Besides that, He's not really especially fond of anything. He'd rather be grabbing your hands and trying to walk. 

One baby gear thing that Clint and I are loving is his amber teething bracelet! There's been a noticeable difference in his crying and whining since we put it on. We've been borrowing a friend's and have a new one coming in this week. It's a little smaller, raw, and lighter in color. From what I've read, it should be even more effective!

Crying: It was a bad month for crying those mean teeth. He got two upper teeth that came in at the same time with fury. I saw/felt them one day and not even 6 days later, they were all the way in. It was NOT fun. He's also starting to get upset if he can't see one of us or if we walk away from him. 

Likes: Standing and walking. Peek-a-boo. Eating big people food. Dad. Remotes/phones. Looking at himself in the mirror. Being tickled. Squealing. Baby First TV. Rolling. Putting everything in his mouth. Bath time.

Postpartum: My body's been acting crazy, but I'm just contributing it to my hormones trying to even out from Reuben switching back and forth from sleeping through the night. My hair has stopped falling out and is actually starting to grow back. Yay, right? No. Now I have whispys EVERYWHERE.

  

Milestones: Working on his pinching. It's so cute to see him stare his fingers down as his pointer and thumb meet again and again and again. I offered him a puff, he pinched it, put it in his mouth and ate it. I thought, "MY KID'S A GENIUS!!!"... It hasn't happened since. He's resorted to leaning down and sucking it off my hand with his mouth. Tricky kid.

He's definitely mastered rolling. He'll roll every which way to get to something. Still showing absolutely zero interest in real crawling. He does this weird flopping/scooting thing to get where he wants to go if it's in front of him. I really think he'll be a the kid who walks before he crawls. Or just skips crawling altogether. He's getting REALLY good at pulling up on us and is braving the world of pulling up on objects. Which is great. Until the object is too short and he face plants. And he'll stand up and balance on the couch and stuff. It's crazy to me how big he's getting!

Reuben,

You are the epitome of 'joy'. Your smile brings such happiness to our hearts. Everybody you meet thinks you are the sweetest, cutest baby around and I completely agree (however biased I may be). You're looking less and less like a baby and more and more like a little boy every day. I can hardly stand it. You're such a ham! You love attention! You've got a temper, too. If something isn't the way you want it, you let us know. And it's almost impossible not to give you every single thing you want!

Your dada and I love you more than you will ever understand. We're so proud to be your parents!

Love,
Mama

the Lord gives. the Lord takes away. Part 2.

Make sure you read part one before reading this.



So, the Lord had given us a baby.

And then the Lord took that baby away to be with Him.

I had been meditating in the fact that no matter what, the Lord was to be praised, but seriously? Why couldn't he have just given us that precious babe and never taken it away? Why did he have to bring that scripture up to me over and over and over again? It was like rubbing salt in a wound. Every time I thought of it, I'd instantly be angry that I had to know the side of praising the Lord even when He took something away. Let's be real. It's easy to praise the Lord when He's given us something! When he's taken that something away? It gets a lot harder.

The days following the miscarriage I cried. A LOT. Like an ugly, ugly cry. I'd never felt pain/hurt/sorrow like I did in those days. I was mad at God. SO mad. It wasn't fair. And I felt broken. Why couldn't my body carry a baby? And I felt so, so, so alone. Every where I looked was a reminder of the baby that wasn't going to be coming home with us in December.

But you know what?

Through all of it, God was good. More than good. He was great.

I'm honestly having a hard time putting into words how well He took care of us and how much he blessed us through the following days, but I want to share some moments so that He gets the glory and so that I'll never forget. Some of them are huge and some of them are so small you'll probably laugh that I even consider them a God thing. But every single one was proof of God not leaving us and was loving us so, so well...

- On Sunday, before we knew for sure what was happening, we jokingly said if we lost the baby, we'd tack on a trip to Disney World before our cruise because "You can't be sad at the happiest place on Earth." When we got off the phone with the nurse on Monday afternoon, Clint said, "Looks like we're heading to Disney." We had no money for that. Like zero. But we needed to get away. To put our minds somewhere else after the 48 hours of torture they'd already endured. Well, between Monday afternoon and Tuesday night before we'd gone to bed, we'd gotten a little over $500 out of no where. We hadn't asked anybody for a single penny, but between friends and family feeling prompted by God, we'd gotten close to $225 and then opened an envelope from our bank that had a $300 check from "overages on our escrow." I asked my dad if that happened a lot and he said no and we've never seen a check like it since that night. The money we'd gotten covered our gas, hotel room, tickets, and food in the park PERFECTLY. None left over, but nothing uncovered.

- Our friends went above and beyond taking care of us. We let our small group know what was going on Sunday and they jumped into action. Our friends Micha and Hunter came over with lunch, watched a movie with us, and prayed over us before they left. Our other friends Cara and Jason dropped off a surprise on our doorstep of goodies for our trip. We had constant texts telling us they were praying for us and encouragement for the long road ahead. God has surrounded us with the best friends we could ever ask for.

- A guy who works in our student ministry as a volunteer worked for Gaylord at the time and told us earlier in the year that he'd hook us up with a room at Gaylord Palms and a car to and from our cruise ship for only $100. We gladly took him up on the offer! So fast forward to Friday. We're exhausted by 6:00 pm because neither of us had been sleeping well so we decided to peace out of Magic Kingdom and go to our room and try and get sleep before our cruise. When we got to our room, we found out it wasn't an average room. He'd gotten us a suite that was bigger than our first apartment! It was gigantic. and perfect. and exactly the surprise we needed to lift our spirits.

- Sitting in our massive suite, our moods still started to droop. Night times were just so hard. Clint was getting ready for bed in the bathroom and I was sitting in the living room, trying not to cry when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and It was a tray full of goodies with a note from JB. Not only were there goodies, they were my FAVORITE goodies! It was Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, chocolate chip cookies with milk, Peanut M&MS, and a few bags of potato chips. There was no way they knew those were all of my favorite guilty pleasures. It was a God thing. He knew I needed that little ray of sun in that moment.

- We booked our cruise in March 2011 and had it paid off 4-5 months before any of this ever happened. It was not a coincidence that it was 6 days after our miscarriage. The Lord knew we were going to need to get away and had provided it, before we ever knew it was a need.

Those are just the moments that happened the week after. There've been countless more. Like the fact God put me in a small group of staff wives where 4 out of the other 6 had experienced pregnancy loss. Or the time two dear friends prayed over me, at two different times, saying they felt like the Lord was going to give us another child soon, while I was already pregnant with Reuben and had no idea!

My relationship with Clint and with God changed completely on April 22, 2012. I know, love, and trust Clint in a deeper way than before. We grew up a lot. We were forced to be honest with each other. We saw sides of each other we'd never seen before, even after being best friends since middle school. And I know, love, and trust God more now than I ever have. I had to rely on him. He was my only hope. My only constant in a crazy storm. The only one who had any answers and who could provide comfort that passed all understanding.

Yes, we have a sweet child here on Earth with us now. And pray that we'll have more and more. But there will always be a special place in my heart for that baby. I long for the day I get to meet them in heaven. Until then, my prayer is that their life, no matter how short it was, will count. That what I learned from it will be able to help other women going through the same thing. You are NOT alone.

I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever ask to be put through that. Like, EVER. But.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God. Is. Good.

the Lord gives. the Lord takes away. Part 1.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. I've been feeling prompted to share my (God's) story and I can't let this month pass by without doing it. It's a long story so I'm breaking it up in part one and part two. Here goes...



I can't for the life of me remember why I decided to take a test that Monday night. Clint was staying with our pastor's sons while he and his wife were out of town and I'd just left them for the evening at Buffalo Wild Wings. I wonder if something had tasted funny and got me to thinking, "When was I supposed to start again? Oh yea. Today."

Whatever it was, I decided to take a test when I got home. Just me and our dogs. I went to the bathroom and left the test to do it's thing while I let the dogs out. I came back 5 minutes later, just like the test told me to... and there was a second line. WHAT?!?!?! So obviously, I freak out. Like have a mini panic attack. I call Clint, trying to be calm...

Me: Um... I need you to come home.
Clint: Why?
Me: Because.
Clint: Because, why? I can't just leave Sam and Josh here.
Me: BECAUSE I'M PREGNANT AND FREAKING OUT IS WHY!!!
Clint: What?!
Me: I'm pregnant. Don't you dare tell Josh and Sam. Just get here. Now.

As I sat there and waited for him, I started to journal. We'd been trying for quite a few months by that point, and I wanted to remember every second of this moment. The only thing I could think of was Job 1:21.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

I knew how delicate new life is and I knew I wanted to love and celebrate this baby that God had given me for this moment because I wasn't guaranteed another.

Clint got home and we screamed and celebrated. Called our best friends, Jonathan and Miriam, and just tried to let it soak in. 

We were going to be parents.

I was about 5 weeks along and we started doing all of the exciting baby things we'd been talking about doing. We went to Target to find some cute stuff as gifts to tell our parents. We got Clint's parents a little onesie that said something about grandma and we got my parents a copy of "Go Dog Go" because it was my favorite book when I was little and wrote in there it was for them to read to their grandbaby. We recorded it all. They were and still are precious memories.

We had scheduled a Disney cruise for the end of the month and a couple of the excursions weren't pregnancy friendly so I went online and canceled them, joyfully.

We had some family pictures scheduled with our photographer, Amelia Moore, for that Friday. What perfect timing! We could take announcement pictures to use when we were in the safe zone AND capture our life before baby in one shoot. Plus, Amelia had shot our wedding. How cool that she was going to be able to capture this next step.

We wrote "Baby Lamberth December 2012" on that chalkboard heart for our announcement shots.

Clint was telling me in this picture he hoped the baby "had my brains."

We were so deliriously happy and in love.

Sunday morning I got up around 6:00 and had to pee. I wiped and saw the slightest tinge of pink and honestly didn't think much of it. Clint left to go to church and I went back to sleep since I didn't have to be there until 10:30. When I got up for the day and went to the bathroom, I saw more pink. I started to get uncomfortable seeing it, but I'd read it was normal. By the time it was time to go to church, it was a lot more than pink. I knew something wasn't right. I called Clint and told him. Told him I couldn't come to church. Told him I needed him to come home. I'd called the doctor on call at my OBGYN and she said to just stay in bed and come in the next day, but that if I was losing it, there was nothing they could do about it. 

I got off the phone with Clint and have never, ever felt so alone and desperate in my life. I sat in my bed literally crying out to God to save our baby. To make all of it go away. I was reminded so many times throughout the day that it wasn't going anywhere. Things were only looking more and more grim.

After some blood tests on Monday, it was confirmed that the baby had died. My levels were no where near where they should've been at 6 weeks. I'd had a miscarriage. I was no longer pregnant.

We weren't going to be parents.

not mine.

The further I get into being a mom, the more motherhood is being turned upside down for me.

I've caught myself calling Reuben "mine" more and more. He's "my" son. I decide what's best for him. I know what he needs. I know how to comfort him. I know what to do.

There's a whole lotta "my" and "I" in those sentences.

I heard some news today that rocked me to my core. I don't really want to share anything because it's not my news to share.

But I'll tell you this...

It's reminded me Reuben is NOT MINE.

He is GOD'S.

The Lord has blessed me with this giggly, strong willed, joyful little boy. I've done absolutely nothing to deserve him. Honestly, I don't deserve such a wonderful gift.

But God's entrusted him to me anyways, because that's how good He is.

He is God's. GOD knows what's best for him. GOD knows what he needs. GOD knows how to comfort him. GOD knows what to do.

I need to find the answers in God. I need to raise Reuben up knowing the truths of God. He's been given to me for the last 7.5 months and every single day has been a gift I don't deserve. If God decides to take him to heaven tomorrow, that's ultimately what's best for him.

He. Is. Not. MINE.

What a joy it is to have him in my life.

7 months

Weight: I'm going to guess around 18-19. Carrying him around in his 15 lb car seat is quite the chore now, so it only goes in and out of the house. We just carry him in everywhere else we go unless he's asleep.

Health: Still rockin' it on the healthy train. He's had a runny nose and a small cough, but I'm 99.9% sure it's due to his mean tooth coming in. 

Sleep: IN HIS CRIB!!! Putting him to sleep has been getting better and easier every night since we moved him in there and taught him how to put himself back to sleep. Saturday night was really, really bad in the middle of the night, but I'm chalking it up to the tooth. He's even napping alright in there now. I'm weirdly proud of him. Oh. And he TOTALLY slept through the night two different times. It was like mom-heaven. 

Social: He celebrated his first Grandparent's day!

And he's been out and about more and more. He loves sitting in high chairs and "talking" to waiters when we're out to eat. The kid seriously doesn't know a stranger. Takes after his daddy.

Diet: 95% breastmilk. It's still mostly out of convenience. Solids take a while and I love how easy nursing is. I've started giving him pieces of what I'm eating though and he seems to really like it! The other night at Carrabbas, he ate a little of everything I had! He also loves black beans, yogurt melts, and banana flavored mummums. If you don't know what a mummum is and you have a little baby, check them out!

Clothes: I officially packed away all of his 3 month clothes. There was no more squeezing him into them. As much as I hate putting away some of my favorite outfits, it's really nice to know every thing in his drawers and closet fit him. No more digging through trying to find something big enough. I'm really excited about some of the 6-9 month clothes I got out for him. They're so darn cute!

Baby Gear Love: He's finally understanding his Johnny Jump-Up. Maybe not the actual jumping part, but he's loving to stand in it. And he could care less about this, but I'm LOVING his monitor! Having a video monitor gives me so much peace at night because I can see exactly what's going on.

Crying: A little more than normal this month. He's starting to realize I can leave him and he does this really whiny, fussy cry when I walk out of the room. Teething cries are becoming more and more common, too. Those things are really, really horrible.

Likes: Chewing on everything. I mean everything. Wearing shoes. Being tickled by my hair. Being thrown up in the air. Standing. Eating people food. 

Postpartum: I feel like I'm just about back to normal. Him sleeping longer at night is throwing my hormones for a loop, but physically I feel normal.

  

Milestones: He's got two teeth now! His smile with those little nubs is just too cute for words. 

And he stayed overnight with my parents while Clint and I were at a staff retreat on the other side of Nashville. He did SUCH a great job, but I was really ready to see him by the next day!

Reuben,

These months are FLYING by. I feel like I just wrote your 6 month note. Your personality is growing by the day. I can hardly stand how cute you are. You smile at the drop of a hat. You don't know a stranger. You bring incredible joy to me and your daddy. 

You've started to realize I can leave you. In a way, it's really sad to see you frustrated when I walk away, but in another, I love the smile you get on your face when I walk back. You've started reaching up for me when you want me and you leave my heart in a little puddle. You're finding your voice more and more and learning to make new sounds. I cannot wait for the day you finally decide to say "mama" and "dada" even if you don't know what you mean!! 

Mama and Dada love you more than you could ever know little man!

Love, 

Mama