Combat Crawling!

My life will never be the same again...

Shop 'til you drop!

Today was a day full of shopping at Concord Mills with my good friend, Nicole, & her adorable daughter Anna. I thought Little J would enjoy a day with Nana more than a day at the mall, so he stayed with her today. We got such great deals - I'm so excited!! 

For myself:

-1 pair of jeans from Ann Taylor LOFT ($9.98)

-2 pair of cropped pants from Gap ($15 each)

And because I always end up shopping for Little J:

-black/red fleece ($1.99), green football hoodie ($2.99), and blue oxford button down ($2.99) from Children's Place 

-2 pair of 3-pc PJ's ($11 each), 3 pair of shorts ($7 each), and Birthday Boy shirt ($3) from Carter's

I told you I got some good deals!

As if I didn't shop enough today at the mall & last night at a local consignment sale, we are heading out tomorrow morning to hit another few consignment sales. What can I say - I can't pass up a good deal!

And of course I have to give a little MILESTONE ALERT!! Little J pulled himself all the way up to a stand today on his walking toy from Mimi. Once he got himself steady, he looked up at me with a HUGE smile. That child is just too much sometimes...and I love every ounce of him!!

Babyfood & Mommy Shoes

What a good day! We started off our day by going to Brunch Bunch (BB) - a mom's group I belong to. We eat brunch (hence the name), gab a lot, and hopefully talk about the book we're reading together (right now we're reading Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel - aka Blair from the TV show Facts of Life). We always have a good time and it's a great break for us during the week.

After BB, we came home for Little J to nap. When he woke up it was time for lunch (around 2pm - a little late). While he was eating, I set off to make more baby food! That's right...somehow I became one of those "Hippie" moms. You know the type...breastfeeding, cloth diapering, baby wearing, babyfood making moms. And I'm loving every minute! 

Back to babyfood...I was given a Beaba Babycook for Christmas to make all this yummy food for Little J. It has been a GOD SEND! I can make so much babyfood quickly & without making a big mess.

After I steam & puree in this wonderful machine (yes - it does both!), I pour the puree into ice cube trays to freeze.

Once the cubes are frozen, I dump them into ziplock freezer bags, label them, and voila! I'm ready to provide a myraid of meal combinations for Little J at the drop of a hat!

So far I have made Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Peas, Green Beans, Broccoli, Pears, Peaches, Bananas, and Apples. Usually Little J gets 2-3 cubes of fruit mixed with oatmeal for breakfast, 2-3 cubes of a fruit & veggie at lunch, then 2-3 cubes of veggies for dinner. Occasionally Little J is hungry enough to eat 4 cubes plus Puffs & Mum-Mums. What can I say...he's a growing boy!

After all this cooking (yes he sat in his high chair & helped), Little J was ready to play...with Mommy's shoes!

Wow Mom! You've got a big foot!

(mostly) Wordless Wednesday

Monkey & Little J at 1 week

Monkey & Little J at 7months...someone's getting big!!

Silly face while trying to get Mommy's camera

Close up of someone trying to...

CRAWL!!!

What's cooking?

I love to cook! Tonight I was able to do a bit of cooking, for us and Little J - all thanks to Little J going to bed at 5:30pm. :) 

Here is what was made tonight (I wish I would have taken pictures - I need to get better at that!)...

For Big J & me: 

-Tonight's dinner of Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Potato Slices (tossed in EVOO, Parmesan, & Basil), Bleu Cheese Burgers, & Hot Dogs (Big J's request). This was all so yummy and I am stoked for lunch tomorrow!

-For later this week: Baked Spaghetti (ready to be baked in the next day or 2), browned hamburger for Chili this weekend because the cold weather is making a comeback (boo!!!).

For Little J.:

-peaches

-peas

-a sweet potato. 

I ran out of ice-cube tray space, otherwise he would have had some fresh pears as well. That's a task for tomorrow!

Speaking of tomorrow, we have our first visit from Imprints. I'm pretty excited to learn all kinds of new activities to do with Little J. I know a lot about middle schoolers from my previous life as a 7th Grade Teacher, but sometimes I'm at a loss when it comes to activities with a baby (aside from snuggling, tickling, kissing, and just generally being silly). The lady that is coming tomorrow is certified in Infant Massage - I hope I learn something from her & I bet Little J does too!

Little J survived a shot & oral vaccine today with no crying...he's so brave! We celebrated by a picnic lunch at the local park. Yes...I cannot get enough of this beautiful weather. Tomorrow is our last day of the gorgeous weather & you better believe we'll be taking FULL advantage!

MILESTONE ALERT!!! I think Little J has given up the swaddle! He slept yesterday & last night with his arms out. Today's naps & tonight there was no swaddling at all! He does like to cuddle up with his blanket from Mimi. I hope to catch a picture of that soon because it is too cute! 

Still enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather!

We had a great few days of GORGEOUS weather! I can't believe it was 80-degrees the last 3 days! We spent quite a bit of time outside yesterday & today working in the yard (Big J & I are both a bit sore from the yardwork). Little J played in his Pea Pod to stay out of the sun since he cannot wear sunscreen yet. He really likes being outside! Little J & I even went over to Nana's today to hang outside with her for a little while. 

Little J had his first hammock experience today. It probably would have been a little more welcomed if he hadn't been so tired. (But doesn't he look so adorable in his Nana's Bottoms Cloth Diaper!) I'm spoiled now by this wonderful weather, but the winter weather will be returning by the end of the week. Friday's high is 45...BOO!!! 

In other news, last night was BUNCO Night! I hosted (corn-free Taco Night & Margaritas!) and we had a blast! My face hurt at the end of the night from so much laughing. We are a hodge-podge group of ladies, but we have so much fun together.  I'm already looking forward to next month's get-together!

Mountains, Bowling, & Beautiful weather

It's been a few days since I've updated because we actually made it to the mountains!!! We had a great time. It was so relaxing & beautiful! I wish we could have stayed longer & that Big J could have been with us. The good thing about being home is that hopefully {fingers crossed & prayers said} Little J will start sleeping better. It was NOT pretty while we were up on the mountain...very little sleep for Little J. Maybe he was just too excited to hang out with Nana & "GiGi" (Sharon George). They sure did provide a lot of entertainment for him!

GiGi George

Little J & Nana

Me & Little J

Little J looking adorable!

Little J loves his CORN! (knit by Nana)

We got home Friday afternoon and Little J went to sleep at 5pm, then slept until 8:15am this morning when our alarm went off! He did wake several times though the night, but luckily went back to sleep easily after some nursing. Big J & I orderd pizza & relaxed last night - our favorite Friday night activity! We needed to rest up for our big morning of BOWLING!

That's right, we were up bright & early to bowl at the Big Brothers Big Sisters bowling event. It's their biggest fundraiser of the year, so I'm hoping they got a lot of money. Our team of 9 from Hillsdale raised close to $900! Not that it mattered, but Big J & I were the highest scoring bowlers on our teams (girls vs. guys). And man are these scores impressive {ha!}! Big J bowled a 113 & I bowled a 97. Good thing people didn't pledge by the pin. Little J enjoyed his first bowling experience...an adorable picture is coming soon! 

Ok...so NC has beautiful, but sometimes wacky weather. Monday morning we woke up to 6inches of snow, today (5 days later) it was 80-degrees! Just another one of the reasons I love being a North Carolinian! 

Tonight we "Spring Forward" and lose an hour of sleep. But I'll take it because it means Daylight Savings Time begins! I love this time of year when the days are getting longer & warm weather is starting to creep in. Well, off to eat a late supper & head to bed (I need all the sleep I can get!).

Mommy's Little Helper

Remember how yesterday I signed off because Little J was waking up...well that's the last time he slept until bedtime!!! That's right...no more naps ALL-DAY-LONG! There was lots of crying and NO sleep. I have no idea what got into him, but I eventually just gave up. So, in the meantime I decided to put Little J to work. He helped me fold laundry & his diapers.

Thankfully he went to sleep easily a little before 6pm & slept well last night, only waking up once to nurse around 3am. Then he slept until 7:45 this morning - wonderful since Big J didn't have to leave for work until 9am.

After he went to sleep, we got everything packed up for our Mountain Trip. Big J got the car packed up this morning, I got Little J in the car just in time for his morning nap, and we headed west! Well, we headed west for about 8 minutes before "Nana" called to say they couldn't get down the mountain because the road was still iced over. So they are snowed in & we are back home. We're going to try one more time tomorrow - hopefully it will work out.

MILESTONE ALERT! Little J has been getting up on all fours a lot in the past 2 days. I think he's getting close to crawling! Although it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he held off just a little bit longer...I have a feeling my life won't be the same after he gets mobile!

SNOW!!!

It SNOWED!! A pretty big snow for NC - we have about 5 inches, maybe a little more.  Of course we had to take Little J out in the snow, but first we had to get all bundled up. Poor guy - he could barely sit up. He toppled pretty easily after we got all his layers on (footed PJs, pants, sweater, big coat, shoes, "mittens" aka socks on hands, & a toboggan). Here's the final product of all those layers!

He seemed to like it! Not too much like his Mama, huh?

Like I said...it's hard sitting up with all those layers, so he fell back - I think he just wanted to make snow angels (too bad he couldn't move his arms). 

He seemed very interested in the cold, white stuff.

What a cute snow baby!

After our snow adventure (that lasted about 5 minutes), we came back inside to get warm & have some breakfast. Big J had to sweep his way out of the drive way so he could go to work (we don't have a snow shovel since we only get a big snow once every couple of years). Only one other person he works with has power, so I'm not sure how they're going to operate the bank today. We're not even sure if the bank has power! I certainly hope everyone is safe while out & about today.

Our mountain trip has been delayed. I think we'll head up Wednesday and stay until Friday. I'll have to miss Brunch Bunch & MOPS, but it will be nice to have a few days away.

Little J is waking up from his nap, so I've gotta run!

Waiting for snow...

Supposedly snow is on the way! Lots of it...somewhere between 3 & 7 inches, but I'm not convinced yet. I'm actually not a big fan of cold or snow, but I do think it's really pretty to watch coming down. I wish it would come at a slightly different time since Little J & I are suppose to go to the mountains tomorrow to spend a few days with "Nana" (Big J's mom) and a few friends. We'll just have to see what happens overnight and then make a decision in the morning.

In reading one of the other blogs I follow, I "randomly" clicked on a prayer request link for little Jonah & his family. I was reading their story when chill bumps spread all over because they are literally 10 minutes away from me. Of all the links, this was the only one I clicked on & I know it was because God wants me to do something, I just don't know what. Until I know something concrete I will be a prayer warrior for them. Will you be one too?