Happy Father's Day

One Satisfied Customer

by Little Sapling Toys

I needed this today.

And it's totally acceptable that it came from a piece of chocolate. Reason # 5,678,321 of why I'm not perfect. I. EAT. CHOCOLATE.

Baby 'hawk

Like a hampster on a wheel

Every few months I find myself feeling anxious. Brimming with ideas. Shopping on a binge. Desire for... something. It's my creativity trying to find an outlet. I know it and realize it but yet I do nothing about it.

Used to, editing some pictures would satisfy it. Now, not so much. I have so many ideas and dreams it's ridiculous. Everything sounds like something I want to and can do. I'm so close to buying various machines or renting store space it's not even funny. I've got to find an outlet before I make a decision which will quickly drown me.

My days look like this:

• 5:30am - alarm goes off.
• 5:45am(ish) - I get out of bed, shower, do hair & makeup
• 6:10am - wake Carter, change his clothes & diaper, nurse
• 6:30am - wake C.
• 6:40am - put Carter on the bed to hang out while I get dressed.
• 6:50am - finish helping C get various bottles and bags together.
• 7-7:05am - leave the house
• 7:45-7:50am - arrive at daycare and leave my baby for the day. Multiple kisses ensue.
• 8-8:05am - arrive at work and watch the clock.
• 4:45pm-5pm - leave work to pick up Carter
• 5:45-6pm - arrive home
• 6pm-8:30pm - feed and play with Carter. Hopefully have dinner.
• 8:30pm-10pm - fix bottles for the next day. Watch some tv. Try not to fall asleep in mid-sentence.
• 10pm(ish) - lights out.

I'm not complaining- don't misread. It's just that I need more sleep. I crave it. But it never fails - I never get it. Adding anything else to this routine will mean I get even less. Yet.... I. want. more.

Playing Hard (another Etsy post)

I'm spoiling my child. I don't buy him tons of expensive clothes, in fact, his first three months were spend almost entirely in hand-me-downs. He wears Walmart onesies with pride. I don't own shoes that fit him (who needs 'em?). But I do want him to have nice things. Nice things he can give to his kids someday. Nice things I can put on a shelf after he's lost interest. Nice things not made in China of plastic. Nice things like the ones I'm spending entirely too much money on, but consider it an investment... in him and his happiness. And in the earth... can you see my slightly light green glow?

Last week it was the art for his walls and this:






















Today, it's these.
























I'm in love.

Tater Bug Today

(His first time in his jumpster... thanks Vegas Aunts!)

I finally did it.

I ordered prints from vol.25. She's having another BOGO sale and this time, I refused to miss out... especially since she was raising money for a new camera. Me of all people couldn't NOT help with that!

Check out what I got:

These are for Carter's room... if I ever get around to actually moving him in there.

This one is just because... I love it.


And finally! For the kitchen! I think they'll look awesome with our new paint colors. Assuming we actually move back into the rest of the house, that is.

Floors

Well that went over like a lead balloon. Moving on!

Here are pictures of our floors which are finished save but one board. One measly board. But, that's not enough to keep us from celebrating! Next up- trim.

Playing Favorites

I have 265 subscriptions on my Google Reader and man does it make life easier. But, who is to say enough is enough? In honor of that, here are my top 10 favorites- the ones I read first every time. In return, share your favorites with me.

These three women are my favorites. I never can remember which two already have their babies and which is pregnant until I read their post, but they never fail to disappoint.
Quarter Life Crisis
She Likes Purple
She Just Walks Around With It

Oh Me, this girl sure can write. She's funny, sassy and thoughtful.
Girl's Gone Child

Take funny women, add kids and get endless entertainment
Amalah
Not That You Asked

It help that I've known her since kindergarten, I guess, but she takes beautiful pictures of her adorable (and precocious- Jacob!) kids.
voz.kiz

Photographer blogs I dig:
Jasmine Star (I just want to hang out with her)
Jessica Claire (She's planning her own wedding - a wedding photographer's wedding = delish!)

This one. Oh, this one. Her son (same age as Carter) died last month or 6 weeks ago from (all they can determine) SIDS. It's sad. It's heartwrenching. It's changed the way I mother.
Gorillabuns

Time keeps on slippin' into the future...

Why do I expect people to read this thing when I NEVER WRITE? Maybe I need to go on a binge where I post ever day for a week or a month or something. My life doesn't have an "off" switch anymore where I have 'downtime' (which is why I mainly end up posting at work). I managed to work on a few pictures yesterday in between playing and nursing since I know they're a hit. But first, a few highlights.

Carter will be FIVE MONTHS OLD on Wednesday. That just blows my mind.

We are BEYOND blessed to have such a happy, healthy, beautiful baby. I give thanks daily. This life is amazing.

He still has YET to roll over, except the (fluke) at 3 months.

We left him for the first time Memorial Day weekend. We went to Baton Rouge for a wedding and he stayed with Papa and Nana (C's parents). He was an angel (of course!) which made being away bearable. I only called once, but Dad called about 15 times to check on him.

Last week we had a six day poop standoff. Thankfully it ended at daycare (the day I bought "supplies" to remedy it) and not at home.

I keep saying we're going to try cereal and then we get busy and time slips away and we don't. Maybe next weekend.

He's officially teething and his finger is his favorite teether. I try to give him other (frozen) stuff, but nothing works as good.

He's also a part-time thumb sucker. Cutie-patootie.

Many apologies for not organizing a Dallas lunch when we were there this weekend. We got a late start, had a rough drive there and back and barely had time to get a visit with Heather and Cori.

He loves his toes... if the boy's on his back, he's guaranteed to have his legs in the air grabbing those toes. Double cutie.

The picture of Carter and daddy was the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen. It's a little blurred because it was so dark first thing that morning, but who cares. I love those boys.

Oh- the bouquet and sole picture of me is from my first Mother's Day. I am loved.

Our flooring is 99.99% finished... we were one board short. Isn't that the luck? We need some for scrap anyway, so another few boxes will be purchased. It looks divine. I'll take pictures and post them someday... sooner rather than later.

The goin's on

Since I'm convinced people only care about the pictures I post, here are some of what we did this weekend. (Token baby picture included)

Sometimes things are best done the "redneck" way. Like carpet removal. Yes, that's a chain wrapped around the carpet and yes, that's a four-wheeler dragging said carpet from the house.

















This used to be parquet flooring installed by the previous owners in the foyer. Not anymore... not since my husband used a JACK HAMMER to demolish it.












We layed underlayment. Tater Bug helped.













Then we started the floor. Hopefully we'll finish this decade... better yet, this week.

Happy Monday to me!

(I'll write about my first Mother's Day later.)

I went to a baby shower for C's cousins a month or so ago and all the ladies had necklaces that either had their childs name or picture or something on them. I felt left out. Of course, some of their jewelry was big and gaudy which is so not me. I got home that afternoon and did a search on Etsy to see what I could find and bookmarked quite a few sites, but kept coming back to one I loved called sTuck in the coop.

Fast forward to a week or so ago- the artist posted a contest on her blog for a $25 store credit and guess who just found out she won? That's right, this girl! And what did I choose?



Of course, it will have Carter's name and birthstone (garnet). I'm so excited I could just pee. Speaking of pee (and if you follow me on Twitter you already know this), the phone rang last night as I was in the middle of changing his diaper on the bed. Since he likes to "air it out" sometimes, I left him with a clean diaper under his butt "just in case" and ran to take C the phone. When I returned, my happy baby was still laying there with the clean diaper under his butt- and pee all over the bed. All over the side, the bed frame and the floor. My sweet little pisser that he is, all I could do is laugh. And to make it even better, we have no spare sheets for our bed. I bought C the ones we have now for Christmas a couple of years ago after tiring of his Walmart scratchy sheets. Looks like I'll be buying some more in the VERY near future, like TODAY!! ORDERED!

Wow, I derailed my own post didn't I? It wasn't supposed to be about ME or my BABY (AGAIN, anyone?), but about sTuck in the Coop! Go shopping, girls!

As if I needed reminding...

My child is perfect. Bet you didn't see that coming, didya?

Yesterday was Carter's four month check up (and shots- booooo). He weighed 14lbs 10.5oz and measured 25.5 inches long, both of which put him smack dab in the middle of perfection on the growth chart (50th percentile). Take that, tongue tie/jaundice double whammy! His noggin, however, measured 17.5 inches which landed him in the 90th percentile. My child is clearly destined for big things... like hats. The doc said everything looked great and he was developing just perfectly. (Duh) We also got the go ahead to start trying rice cereal and then baby food. I knew it was coming, but my little baby is growing up. Call me crazy, but I think I'm going to try and delay it as long as I can. And when that doesn't work, I'll just cry.