une petite aventure

Monday, May 11, 2015

Holt: 9 Months

I'm in denial. There is no way my baby is only 3 short months away from turning ONE. Why in the world does it go by so fast?

He is so much fun right now! He is such a little explorer and climber and is FEARLESS. One of the staff wives told me this week her daughter was the same way and to start praying for safety now…and to be prepared for some heart attacks in the future :)

Case in point.

*Holt and I went to his first Arkansas Red/White Football Spring Game with my sister this month and he had a blast! It was a BEAUTIFUL day and I may or may not have been daydreaming about going to watch Holt play in a Red/White game someday :)

*He is crawling at lightning speed and is pulling up on things constantly. One of the moms at church let us borrow a walker, which he LOVES, so he gets around that way too (and loves to chase Sophie in it). We are inching ever closer to walking!

Pulling up to check out the dishwasher

Sophie hides in her crate when he is in the walker

so busy!

* He is such a happy baby. I know I say this every month, but he truly is just always happy. Don't get me wrong, he definitely has cranky moments (or days), but for the majority of the time, he babbles and laughs and smiles. Sometimes he just randomly gets the giggles and it is so contagious you can't help but laugh too. I'm excited to see how his little personality continues to develop.

stop it. He looks so grown up here!

dimples

obsessed with Sophie---she tolerates it.

*A friend from church let us borrow an Amber teething necklace (thanks Beth!). I was super skeptical, but thought I'd give it a shot just to see. I kid you not, within 24 hours, Holt didn't drool AT ALL and it seemed like his pain was more under control. Every now and then I give him Ibuprofen if I can tell it's just hurting really bad, but not very often. (He still just has the one tooth by the way) It is blowing my mind that it actually works pretty well. I wasn't going to let him sleep in it, but the first night I completely forgot to take it off and he did just fine. So now he wears it 24/7 and never messes with it at all.

*He started saying "dada". He just goes around all the time "dadadadadada"---it makes Daniel pretty happy to hear it, even though I don't think he has connected the word as "dad". He says "mama" every now and then. For a good two weeks he said it at least once a day, mostly when he was mad or upset though, but now that's gone extinct and is replaced with "dada dada". I still get to claim it as his first word though!

*Daniel and I went to the dentist earlier this month and I asked about fluoride drops for Holt. Our drinking water doesn't have fluoride, so I wanted to supplement it in some way because I know it is such an essential nutrient for strong teeth. They called us in a prescription to the pharmacy and it's a peach flavored liquid that I put in his nighttime bottle. You can start using them in babies 6 months and older, so if you know your water doesn't have fluoride, check with your dentist!

Weight: 18 lbs. (20th percentile)

Height: 28 inches (50th percentile)

Favorites: *Sophie *Mama (he likes daddy too, but he's pretty attached to me) *paci *Puffs *eating in general *playdates---he absolutely LOVES playing with other kids *exploring *looking out the window

Milestones: *pulling up on EVERYTHING *starting to learn how to open drawers (yay) *says "dada" for everything, but it makes Daniel pretty happy ;p *says "mama"---but only when he's frustrated or upset (but I'll take it!) *celebrated my 1st Mother's Day with Holt outside the womb *graduated to Size 3 diapers

Sleep: I'm kind of in awe at how wonderful of a sleeper he is. (that makes me nervous for our next kid! lol) More often than not he is in bed BEFORE 7pm (usually between 630-645) and sleeps until about 7 the next morning. He also slept through all the thunderstorms we have had recently---definitely gets that from me! He takes 2 naps a day---one around 9AM and the other around 1PM. Sometimes, he just takes little 15-20 minute catnaps and then is good to go for the next 2 hours---he gets that from his RoRo (my dad).

Feeding: My child eats like a champ! He eats pretty much anything and everything---he even ate salmon last week! Holt also goes through Puffs like they are going out of style (any other moms feel me on that?) and I've also been feeding him dairy/gluten free frozen waffles spread with either applesauce or peanut butter. He essentially eats 2 big meals a day (sometimes 3, it just depends), some snacks, and then 3 bottles a day with 7-8 ounces each.

*Milk allergy update: The doctor told us to wait to closer to a year to try milk products. My plan is probably around 11 months or so, give him some whole milk and just see how he takes it.

one of my favorite pictures of all-time

Monday, May 4, 2015

Taking a Risk

I am not a risk-taker.

I'm an oldest child. I'm a rule follower. I like to stick to the same thing on the menu because I know I like it.

I DON'T like to put myself out there and risk rejection. I am very fearful of taking risks because I am ~~terrified~~ afraid they won't work out.

"But God has not called us to a spirit of fear and timidity, but one of power and love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7

Whoa. I am not meant to be fearful! He has called me to have a spirit of power and love and self control. That being said, I feel like God is telling me to take a risk. As a single-income family, we make sacrifices for me to stay home with Holt and any other children we are blessed with in the future. AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I treasure my opportunity to stay home, but I have felt God nudging me share with you that….. after much prayer, consideration, and discussion I have decided to sell canvases and door hangers. I LOVE to be creative---painting canvases is like therapy for me. Painting scripture or encouraging quotes that I know will be in someone's home brings me so much joy! It is my hope to use my talents to encourage the mom who has had a hard day; to remind a child how much God loves them; to inspire a married couple to never forget their covenant between each other and Christ; to brighten up a home.

nursery decor

If you or someone you know would like to purchase a canvas for your home (or as a gift for someone), please let me know! Perfect decor for any room in your home---an inspirational verse or quote for your child's room or something special to commemorate your wedding day; a life verse that you would want to have as a constant reminder in your home; a seasonal door hanger to spruce up the front of your home or maybe one to show your support of the Razorbacks or any other sports team! The possibilities are endless!

Here are some examples of previous work I have done:

wedding gift

Girl's room decor

my wedding vows

baby girl gift

wedding gift

home decor

Girl's Room decor

door hanger

I have also done some work as hostess gifts for baby or wedding showers as well as a few chalkboards for my sister's wedding last May. These are so fun and unique---they can be catered to any theme, color scheme, specific hashtag (for social media purposes), etc. Here are some examples:

hostess gift

Chalkboard for the wedding reception

Chalkboard for wedding ceremony

Chalkboard for wedding reception

Chalkboard for wedding reception table

Taking a risk is scary. But we can't live in fear----we have to follow our dreams! My dream is to share God's truth in people's homes; for people to have a beautiful piece of the written Word or an inspirational quote to lift them up on a cloudy day; to show off your personality and uniqueness at a wedding or fun event; to use my gift for His glory. I created a Facebook page---check it out HERE---and an instagram page---check it out HERE----I'll use those to showcase new pieces!

If you are interested or would like more information, please contact me! My email is: hlowerydesigns@gmail.com. Email me and I would love to give you more info including pricing information.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Holt: 8 Months

Boy, our little man has grown so much this month! He is definitely packing on the rolls now that we are eating so much solid food and IT. IS. ADORABLE! I could just kiss those cheeks and that belly all day!

*We have mastered crawling and becoming mobile this month. I put him down to play with toys, turn around for 2.5 seconds, and I find him halfway across the room. And he has such an adorable crawl---he crawls with his right knee down and his left foot up on the floor, so he's like a little monkey. He also loves to walk (with help) and is starting to pull up on things. He grabs onto our fingers and his little legs and feet take off----he always has a destination in mind and knows exactly where he wants to go! I give it 2 months TOPS before we have a walker.

*His first tooth popped through on 03.15---we are still waiting on any others, but I think he is currently trying to cut the 2nd bottom tooth as well as both top teeth. Son is drooling up a storm----plus he is pretty cranky and chewing on everything. Any thoughts on the amber teething necklaces? I know a couple of people who have had success with them, but I also know some people are completely against them because they pose a strangling/choking hazard. I'd love any thoughts and advice on them!

*Now that we are mobile, we are learning boundaries. So far, he has done really well responding to the word "no"----he will stop what he is doing and look at me. Most of the time, he turns around and finds something else to grab his attention, but every now and then I have to pick him up and redirect him. I know we will reach a day where discipline is necessary to accompany "no", but so far he seems to be picking up on things.

*His personality is definitely starting to shine through! He is such a happy baby----he just constantly smiles and laughs (and he has found his screeching voice). He is currently obsessed with dogs---his face just lights up and he starts moving his arms excitedly and screeching. I also have a hunch that he is going to be a thinker like his daddy. He really studies things and is very curious about how everything works--I can just see the wheels in his little head turning all the time!

*He absolutely loves to be outside and with the warmer weather we have gone on lots of walks. He has also felt grass for the first time (and has tried to eat several handfuls of it). That has to be one of the neatest things as a parent---watching the sense of awe on your child's face when they experience something new just reminds you not to take things for granted.

*We celebrated Holt's first Easter this month. We took a quick, spur of the moment trip to see family and have Easter lunch. So of course we had to take pictures! Cutest little bunny I've ever seen! :)

Weight: 17 lbs. (15th percentile)---yay! Out of single digits!
Height: 28 inches (50th percentile)

Favorites: *mama and daddy--mostly mama this month though *Sophie (or any dog really) *crawling/being mobile *eating *being outside *paci *playdates with friends--it's so fun to watch him interact and play with other babies

Milestones: *crawling *sitting up *walking with help *1st tooth popped through *1st Easter celebrated
*1st ride in a shopping cart *1st time to swing at the park *1st bath in the big bathtub *attended his 1st wedding *Had his 1st Cabela's shopping experience

Sleep: He has mostly been a rockstar sleeper---going from around 7ish--7:30AM! In the last week or so though, since working on teeth, he has woken up a few times looking for a paci. We had one EXTREMELY rough night on Good Friday----he woke up EVERY HOUR from 7:45pm--7:00am. His mouth hurt from trying to cut 3 teeth and he was super snotty and stuffed up because he couldn't breathe. It was a rough night for everyone. We are down to 2 naps a day now. For about 3 weeks, he took a 2-2.5 hour morning nap and about an hour nap in the afternoon. Once teething started, he maybe sleeps an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. Hopefully we will revert back once those stubborn teeth break through!

Feeding: Holt cut back on formula this month since we added 3 meals of solids per day. The pediatrician told me to expect this so I know it's normal. He is down to 3 bottles/day with 7-8 ounces each. Follow along with more details of our solids journey with the Baby-Led Feeding posts.

Holt-man,

Words cannot express the amount of love your daddy and I have for you. You completely light up our world and it is so fun to watch you grow and start to become a little tiny independent human being. We often talk of how you are turning in to a little boy right before our eyes and we can't wait to discover your personality and interests. We LOVE being your parents---it is the best job in the entire world!