5 Months!
Health: Our poor baby had his first visit to the ER, with a 104 degree fever, caused by a stomach virus and teething combined. Two weeks later, he was finally feeling better!
He is still only on Enfamil AR, prune juice, and prevacid. We are waiting until closer to 6 months to start solids. He now drinks 6-7 oz, every 3 hours...hence the weight gain!
We love putting him int the jumperoo when we need to get stuff done. I try and read to him often, but he hates it. We still love his bumbo, Bob stroller, Chicco lightway stroller, softy blanket, sophie the giraffe, white noise machine, bouncer, infant tub, activity gym, baby bjorn, and other toys
He LOVES talking, music, standing, bath time, Bijou, looking around, his jumperoo, his feet, putting anything in his mouth, laying on his belly, Sophie, looking at himself in the mirror
Abram hates his carseat, shopping, being hot, laying on his back unless he can look at his planes, wearing his cool sunglasses.
He traveled to Dallas, met some cousins, is now in the stroller without the infant seat, had his first ER visit, his first pool day, and his first taste of watermelon.
It's a Traveler's Life for Me...
So what have we been up to!? Well, for Easter we traveled to Matt's parents...the day after the ER visit...with Abram still sick and REALLY not sleeping. We gave him and Bijou their baskets before we left.
Matt's dad was throwing a Persian New Year Party on Easter, so we celebrated Easter at church that morning and then changed into our New Year picnic party gear. Unfortunately, Abram felt bad and it rained so we were only at the picnic a couple hours. The next day he was feeling good enough to take a stroll on the farm This is the farm Matt grew up on, and the farmhouse his grandad was born in...lots of history here!
We got back home the following Monday evening and left on Friday morning to head to Dallas, to meet my family for the Color Run....it was a blast!
Abram had not slept all week, so I was exhausted! Matt took all the night shifts that weekend. We met my mom's side of the family to do the run we had been planning since Thanksgiving. A fairly new addition to our plan was my uncle's name on our arms, along with Psalm 118:17. He is currently fighting cancer, so our run was for him. Just in case you don't know the verse, Psalm 118:17, "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord." We are praying for God to heal Troy, and I would very much appreciate your prayers for the same. :)
Anyway, all of the younger ones were babysat by my grandparents while we ran. In a couple of years I am sure they will have a blast together. Nothing is more important than your health and family! Oh and by the way, Abram is now sleeping around 5-6 hours this week. Praise God!
Our easter weekend...to be continued
Our easter weekend began with days of crankiness and problems hitting their peak on Friday night, with a 104 degree fever. Don't babies always get sick on Friday nights? That temperature was a little too high for our liking so he got a dose of Tylenol, a cool rag on his head, and it was off to the ER.
They decided to run a ton of tests to rule out infections. For the record, the Memorial Hermann hospital near our house has an amazing ER that always gives us a pleasant experience considering the circumstances. After getting a catheter, nose swabbed, blood drawn, x-ray, and an IV everything came back clear and they ruled it as a virus...treated with tylenol.
Although the fever was gone by the next morning, it was a weekend of ups and downs. Our pediatrician saw him yesterday and diagnosed him with the stomach flu virus which explains everything! I am hoping we are on the tail end of this and he will feel better soon. The happier part of our weekend coming next...
What a difference a night makes...
Teething, you suck!
Seriously, they are all symptoms of teething from what I have read, and over the past couple of weeks my child has had them ALL!
I have sworn Abram was starting to teeth since he became a drool production machine 1.5 months ago, but many moms told me is was way to early. Still to this day most will swear that 4.5 months is too early for teeth.
Well if there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is to trust your gut!
How many times have I already learned that as Abram's mom? I lost count.
So sorry doubting moms; I found two lines where teeth are starting to poke through tonight! {bottom, front} I still love ya'll...and thanks so much to the moms who clued me in that it was not too early. They encouraged me to break out the teething toys I had in Abram's Easter basket. Thank heavens I did; they saved me tonight!
Now, if only I could have saved my 3 different shirts from the enormous amount of spit up he has had today! My guess is that he has so much drool it is making him spit up more.
Here's hoping those babies pop through soon so my boy can get some relief and stop chewing on his aunt's head like it is the best dog toy the world has ever seen! I also have to make ANOTHER trip out to replace his easter basket goodies...sigh
Liebster Award
11 Random Facts about myself;
1. What's your favorite holiday and why?
Thanksgiving for sure. My extended family only gets together for one holiday…this one. I HATE having to miss it! The pumpkin pie and gravy just tops off all the goodness.
Geez…should I be all sweet and giving, or selfish? Well first I would give some of the money to a bully breed rescue to help out all the homeless pups. That would take care of the giving part…then I would get a big car to be able to take our dog with us comfortably…and build my dream house. Take a few vacations, start my children’s décor line I’ve been dreaming about. Invest…let’s face it we are a Dave Ramsey house. I would NEVER clean a bathroom again!
3. If you could only shop at one store for baby clothes, what store would it be?
Man, this is tough. I love Gap, but h&m and Old Navy are more on my budget level.
Cinque Terre, Italy. I have been there before and loved it. I would also love to go somewhere I haven't been, but going back here WITH the hubby would be amaze!
To own my own business. Now, if I could just figure out what it would be. Currently, I would LOVE to design nursery/children’s furniture and décor.
Most stressed ha! No, he actually did call me something, "Nice Nikki".
When I get stressed I play Sudoku. I also LOVE the pic apps…I have like 50.
Cranberry Pomegranate juice.
I love that {most of the time} when Abram sees me walk into the room, he gets happy. I love that I know how to get him to sleep. I love his gummy smile and seeing him learn something new every day.
This one could get me into trouble. My closest fam & friends read this! I'll just say, you know who you are! ;)
I started blogging to get things off my mind and document my life for all of my friends and family in other states to read. I love to go back and see what I was thinking or what was going on at one point and seeing how it turned out. I also love all of the people I have come in contact with from blogging.
Marianne and Alex at Love Me Bright
Brooke at My Little Happies
Jenny at That girl with sparkly heels
Brooke at days-to-never-forgete Below
Free Boy Printable!
I decided not to frame mine, and instead bought an 8 x 10 canvas and printed the image 3 times onto card stock. One print is for the front, one is used to cut the long sides from, and the other is to cut the short sides from. I just measured the thickness of the canvas and cut the edges off of the print to create a matching distressed looking side. I then used modge podge on the back to apply it all to the canvas. If you do want to apply the modge podge to the front, don't print from an inkjet or the ink will smear.
4 months
Likes: He LOVES to have conversations and mumble, loves music and when I sing, bath time, the tv, his feet, chewing on his hands, Bijou, looking around, standing with help, rolling, and kisses. His interest in toys is still on and off...if it looks like a good chew toy he will probably take it.
Dislikes: He HATES laying down in the carseat still. He gets so worked up that he is literally drenched in sweat by the end of the car ride. He hates being hot and laying on his back now. He has realized the amazingness of laying on his belly and burying his face in the sheets...freaks me out!
Abram started off his Cajun tradition of crawfish boils, just as an observer for the moment. He also attended the Houston rodeo and had his first sleep over. This little guy is also on the verge of crawling and won the doctor over with his Hercules strength ;). Oh and to my surprise and sick humor, he can also scare very easily {like his momma} whenever I make a strange sound. I'm trying to attach the video, but that might make me look like a bully...all in good fun! This month passed by the fastest of all...times needs to slow down...except for the sleep part.
Happy St. Patty's day!
Hope everyone had a good weekend celebrating! Our weekend consisted of poison ivy and several home remedies that had my husband smelling like a walking Easter egg, as he blow dried his arms.
No, you did not read that wrong.
We also got to clean, install sink faucets, and most exciting of all...a trip to lowes to buy trees! Watch out!
Abram enjoyed the festivities and most of all, chewing on his hands.
I guess everyone needs a catch up weekend, and we have the next 3 booked up with fun so I can't complain. Here's the smile that made this holiday the most special of all St. Patrick's days I've celebrated ...his belly laughs are the greatest!
Oh and a 4 month post is in the works!
Mommy & Me Monday...and some favorites
Here are some of the adventures we've been on recently, in pics:
Rodeo Season Y'all!
I have a lot to catch up on...guess who turns 4 months tomorrow!?
Holy moly!
I also have a lot of projects in the works and being typed up so check back soon. For now, I will leave you with this cuteness...I about exploded with cute, cowbaby overload!
D.I.Y. Antiqued Dresser
I needed a long dresser to double as a changing table for the nursery so I started my hunt on craigslist for an old one, with the intention of painting it a color to bring it back to life. I found several candidates, but the price wasn't worth the work I would put in. Then I found a dresser & nightstand set that was already painted grey and was a great price. Score for the tired, pregnant woman with swollen feet, who did not feel like painting anymore!
The problem was I had already painted his walls a grey-blue so the dresser blended in too much. Luckily, I had some extra black glaze left over from our kitchen cabinet makeover {tutorial coming soon}. It only took a couple hours and made it look a little darker and rustic.... just perfect for the little boy's room!
P.S. If I had painted it, I would have followed the same steps in this tutorial to ensure it would be durable. If you would want to paint and antique, just don't put on the polyurethane sealant until AFTER you antique. Oh and the handles are spray painted which is simple as long as you do several, thin coats. If you hold the can too close and get the paint clumpy, you will need to strip the handles and start over.
Oh and there are several ways to create different antiqued looks, this is just one way that I have found to be pretty easy.
Supplies:
- furniture of your choice
- Paint colors of your choice to mix with the glaze
- Clear Glaze
- Paint rag {damp and dry} to wipe
- Clear Polyurethane
- Gloves
- Plastic to protect surrounding areas
Step 1:
I bought one container of clear glaze and mixed the amount directed with a sample size of the Valspar color I chose. The color I used was almost black because I wanted the glazed color to darken the dresser considerably.
TIP: The more glaze you mix with the paint, the thinner it will be when applied...the less glaze you use with the paint, the thicker it will go on and less it will wipe off.
Step 3:
After a couple minutes begin wiping the glazed area with a dry cloth until you get the look you want. You can add multiple layers to darken the glaze if needed.
TIP: Experiment with a small section (maybe hidden) to see what affect you want...keep a damp cloth with you to wipe off immediately if you don't like it. The longer you wait to wipe the glaze, the more the glaze stays on.
Step 4:
To make sure everything stays in place, I did a final coat of Polyurethane clear coat, in Satin finish...always put a clear coat on furniture and cabinets.
TIP: Make sure the clear coat you choose does not yellow over time, especially if you are using white/light paint.
- Glaze from Lowes mixed with a sample of customized black valspar paint
- Polyurethane water-based clear coat in Satin (because I wanted to reduce the shine of my paint)
3 Months
I have been taking all of him in lately as the newborn deadline quickly approached. Sometimes I just stare and smell him for like five minutes...yes I said smell...you may think I am strange, but I swear if I could bottle his scent I would wear it!
Crying: Still just when he is hungry, tired, or in pain. His screams when he is in pain break my heart!
I set up the activity gym at around 2 months, so we go to his room for tummy time and then I put him in his bumbo for a few minutes. We love listening to Baby Einstein, Rockabye Baby Renditions, Disney Movie Songs, and Jack Johnson on my pandora app while we play. He also hangs out in his crib sometimes and LOVES the planes daddy hung above it. He just laughs and talks to himself while looking at them. At the end of the month, we set up the jumperoo we borrowed from a friend. I put a cushion under it so he could reach and he is really starting to get the hang of bouncing.
Abram had his first real playdate with Sam one night while daddy was out of town...and mommy and Leigh Ann drank martinis. ;) It was a little overwhelming for him at first, but he got used to it.
He also had his first wedding rehearsal dinner, aquarium visit, carousel ride, babysitter that wasn't family {so thankful for the women in Junior League}, and reveal party {for one of his future BOY best friends}. So far 3 months is my favorite...we are having so much fun with him!
How to add character to a hanging lamp
When I was designing the look of Abram's nursery I really wanted a light by the rocking chair to create a reading area. Unfortunately there was no spot for a lamp, so I decided to do a hanging one.
First of all, I love that I could create it for pretty cheap since Ikea is for frugal people like me. It also took up no counter space and could not be knocked over and broken by little boys {I may have to raise it later to avoid Tarzan reenactments though}. Best of all, I finally had a use for my Joel Dewberry fabric that I fell in love with and bought before I was even pregnant!
Supplies:
- Ikea lamp shade or other shade that can be hung
- Ikea hanging lamp (basically just the white cord with bulb attachment and a plug in)
- fabric of your choice (the amount depends on the size of the shade)
- spray adhesive
- scissors
- twine or other rope, string, yarn, etc
- hot glue gun
Shade:
My mom covered the lamp shade for me to help me save time. I told her to take pics while she worked so I could do a tutorial, but she failed me which is why that crafty little woman doesn't have her own blog. Tisk tisk Deb. Luckily, I found a similar tutorial from another amazing DIY'ers blog who remembers to take pics! Check it out here: Cover a lampshade
Cord:
Super super easy...I just wanted to cover the white plastic and and electrical numbers with out a girly, bunched fabric. I used twine and simply wrapped it around the cord; hot gluing it on both ends. I did not get the glue on the cord, just the twine itself. I tucked the rest behind the drapes, but it could be wrapped all the way if needed. Using a bright colored string/yarn for a child's room or playroom might be fun!
Times, they are a changing...
Abram has been having some sleep regression. Part of us thinks it is caused by the "wonder week" he is going through, but we have also noticed he is becoming increasingly aware of his surroundings and we were afraid we were waking him up. SOOO....
We moved him to HIS crib in HIS room, Saturday night. I thought I was ready to have my room back to myself, but it was way harder than I thought. I just stared at the monitor and imagined seeing his similar face at my 21 week ultrasound. I am so sappy this week! It's also probably because he is turning 3 months ,on Friday, and will no longer be my newborn baby. I keep thinking of this saying, that I also saw on another mom's post...
My Champion Fighter
Mommy & Me Monday
It is a good thing this weekend was full of adventure so I had to get out of my pjs and work out clothes. We went back to Louisiana for Matt's best friend's wedding. Abram didn't join us for the actual wedding, but did come to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner; sporting his Tux onesie he got for Christmas from Uncle Dave. He was a hit!
Suit up!
My second cup of coffee
Last night, he gave me a solid 5 hour stretch of sleep for the first time ever. However, since the previous two nights were down to 2-3 hour stretches, leaving me searching google for answers to sleep regression, my body is not accepting his apology.
I've been trying to persuade him to sleep longer by convincing him that if he lets me sleep now, I will let him sleep in when he is 16. He's not buying it.
Well, it is a good thing I love looking at this sweet face and touching his soft cheeks in the middle of the night!
Happy 11 weeks Baby Abey!
D.I.Y. Painted Laminate Book Shelf
When Matt and I moved in together he brought all of his college furniture. This bookcase was bought at a garage sale and instead of getting rid of it and buying another book shelf, I decided to try and revamp it for the nursery.
Supplies:
- Shelf
- Kilz Oil Based Primer (or Zinsser Oil Based Primer-more odor, or Water-based Primer- needs more drying time and a sanding)
- Paint colors of your choice
- Clear Polyurethane
- 220 Grit Sand Paper
- Paint brush and/or foam roller
- Mineral Spirits to clean supplies
- Mask to protect from fumes
- Plastic to protect surrounding areas
Step 1:
First, I filled in any scratches or dents with a putty and sanded them until even with the laminate. Since I am painting it the difference in material will not show. I then cleaned the shelf with a damp cloth. I also took out any shelves that could be removed and worked on those separately.
Step 2:
Next, I used a small foam roller to roll on the Kilz Oil Based Primer to really create a binding agent for the paint to stick to. I used a cheap brush just to get the paint in the cracks. Zinsser Oil Based Primer works well too, but has a strong odor...so since there is a pregnant woman in the house, we decided on the odorless Kilz {still has a small odor so use in a well-ventilated area}. Check the back of can for length of time to wait in between coats.
If you use water-based you MUST sand before (not the case with the oil-based), and wait at least 7 hours for the primer to cure. I believe the cure time for the oil-based is only 2 hours, but I usually wait a little longer to be sure. After I primed, I lightly sanded with a 220 grit (between coats) sandpaper to take off any drips or brush strokes.
Step 3:
Next choose your paint color for the shelf; I used a Custom White Valspar Semi-Gloss and Benjamin Moore's "Cork" that I had left over from another project. I used a better quality brush to paint two coats of this paint {3 for the white}.
Step 4:
If painting two colors, paint the first color only. After the white paint cured, I taped off the outlines and painted the yellow. I also peeled off the tape before the paint completely dried...about 10 minutes after painting. The reason is because I have found some latex paints like to peel once dry when you try to peel off the tape.
Step 5:
Since the shelf is going in a boy's room and will going through a lot of wear and tear; I wanted to make it more durable. I used a clear Polyurethane {Satin or Semi-Gloss finish depending on the shine you want} to seal the painted shelf.
2 months
Right around the time of the 1 month post, Abram started to get a receding hairline, and then continued to lose all of his hair on the top of his head. Yes, our son was "Old man Abe"...I hate that nickname and will never repeat it. Just when we thought it would all fall out, tiny little hairs started showing up again. It was so strange because the color didn't even change. Babies.... Anyway one thing we have noticed is how thin it is {like mine}, so it has a slight spike...and a red tint to it!
Never thought we would have a red head, my family is full of them and Matt's mom has brown hair with a red tint. This month we have seen more and more of Matt's mom and grandma in Abram. She was the only grandparent who wasn't still with us when we started dating. We always say she got us together...so now I guess she gave us Abram too. ;)
Weight & Height: We had to visit the pediatric surgeon for his constipation issues the day before he was two months old and he weighed 11 lbs 11 oz. It shocked us! He is so long, at almost 25 inches that he looks thinner than he is I guess. At he 2 month check-up {which we did at 6 weeks}, he was just under the 50% for his weight and head circumference, and was in the 86% for his height. Dang son!
I had been loosely following a Babywise type of sleep schedule since 4 or 5 weeks, but with his tummy it was hard. At around 8 weeks I started a firm schedule with regular feedings every day, a bedtime routine {bath and a book}, and a dream feed. He goes to sleep pretty easily by just swaddling him with white noise, turning him on his side, and patting his rear until he is drowsy, then he puts himself to sleep. A week after he started napping, he stopped. His naps last anywhere from 20-45 minutes {in the pack-n-play and crib} and then he is up and WILL NOT GO BACK DOWN. That makes my days lots of fun! Not.
My elf
Crying: He knows what he wants..."I'M HUNGRY!" or "I'M TIRED!". The only times he really cries besides that are when he is cold or in pain.
Christmas with Aunt Kiki
first Christmas
Where does the time go!?
My baby is 10 weeks old today!
I know I know I am WAY behind on the 2 month old post. As soon as I figure out how to get him to take naps longer than 20 minutes, I will get right on it.
A lot has happened with him...even since 2 months. Right now he thinks I am hilarious, and I eat it up! One day I know he will find me embarrassing so I will take his laughs at me saying simple words with a facial expression all day!
