My Girl

Every morning I awake to this beauty next to me. Most mornings, the first thing I hear is her sweet voice saying "I love you, Mama" as she snuggles up next to me, or a very bright and cheery "Good morning, Mama". How am I so blessed to have this lovely girl as my daughter?

She has such an amazing personality and lights up the room with her presence. She makes you smile, laugh, and stare in amazement. She's smart, funny, friendly, and very loud! We're working on turning the volume down. She knows what she wants and doesn't hesitate to let everyone know what it is. She's always very polite and asks with a please, as in, "Excuse me. I want a cheese quesadilla, please".

She spends a lot of time singing, and dancing around. She will break out with spontaneous dancing and singing pretty much anywhere, but her favorite spot is in front of the stove (so she can see herself). And no, she doesn't sing kids songs. Lately she has been singing Boom Boom Pow by the Black Eyed Peas. She get us all dancing and singing, and acting ridiculous! That's my girl! Always the center of attention, the life of the party. Oh goodness!

My Cakes is such a sweet child, too. She is very friendly, perhaps too friendly at times. She routinely approaches other children and introduces herself and asks their name, and tries to hug them. Most of the time they will just look at her wondering, who in the world is this girl in my face asking me my name? She proceeds to tell them how old she is and when her birthday is. She actually tells everyone her age and birthday. She has never met a stranger, that's for sure. We're working on that too!

My girl is so much fun! She's always smiling and saying such smart and funny things. There's never a dull moment when she's around. Every moment of every day, I am so proud that she is my daughter and I feel so blessed that this remarkable little lady is part of my life.

Bubby's new necklace

The Bubby got his new Baltic amber teething necklace today! What is that, you ask? First off, it is not a teether and not intended to be chewed on. It is a necklace made from Baltic amber chips, which when worn, is purported to help ease the pain of teething. How does it do that? Baltic amber contains Succinic acid which is released when it is warmed. Succinic acid is a natural analgesic or pain reliever. When wearing this necklace it is warmed by the skin causing the Succinic acid to be released into the baby's system, which then eases their pain. At least that's what it supposed to do. Sounds good to me! I'll let you know if it works. Apparently, in Europe and Asia, it is one of the main remedies for relieving teething pains as well as other ailments.

I learned of these necklaces through one of my favorite websites, Diaper Swappers and bought it from a WAHM (Work At Home Mom) on there. It is knotted between each chip so that if it breaks, the chips won't fall off. It also has a break away magnetic clasp so that if it were ever to get caught on something, my Bubby wouldn't get strangled. I had it custom made and really like the way it turned out, but it's a little longer than I wanted. I plan on ordering another, but this one will work until I get a shorter one. It still looks pretty darn cute on my Little Sparky!

I'm probably going to order one for myself to wear the next time I need some all natural pain relief. I can think of a few people I'll probably buy one for, too!

The Boy - 9 months

Sparks had his 9-month well baby visit this week and his measurements confirmed our observations. He's a big boy! At 29.5" he is 90th percentile for height. He's tall like his daddy. He weighed 18 pounds 8 ounces, which is 75th percentile, proportionally skinny like his mama. Ha ha! Yeah, right! And he has a large brain as well, 90th percentile. He's following a pretty consistent growth curve which is what the doctor likes to see. It means he's growing well.

Developmentally, Sparky is right on track. What's he up to these days? Most notably, he has said his first word, Mama! That's right, both of my children's first word was mama! I do have me some mama's babies. Anyway, he is also pulling up and attempting to cruise and is very mobile (see post below). He has started on some finger foods and can pick up his cheerios and small bits of food, but hasn't quite figured out to put it in his mouth to eat it. He has 4 teeth now and working on a few more. Teething hasn't been too bad, but I'm going to get him a Baltic Amber Teething Necklace to help ease the pain. Separation anxiety and stranger danger has hit full force. If anyone tries to hold him he will, most of the time, cry and do everything in his power to wiggle out of their arms and back into mine. Therefore, the Bubby and I are pretty much attached at the hip. Literally. This too shall pass, right?

Night time sleep is great. He sleeps from 8:30 -8:30 most nights, although we had a bad night a few days ago. Naps are another story. He takes 2 naps a day, but they only last about 45 minutes to an hour. I am so envious of mom's whose babies take 2+ hour naps! Cakes never took long naps either. I guess my kids just don't need long naps, or I'm doing something wrong. I don't know, I just wish he would sleep longer for his naps!

Breastfeeding continues to go well, and doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon. He nurses five times a day - before his 3 meals, for an afternoon snack, and at bedtime. Our breaks in the day to nurse provide us with some nice cuddle time. I really enjoy being a nursing mom and can't imagine not doing it. Yeah, sometimes it's not the most convenient, but it's one of the small sacrifices that I make for my kiddos. The benefits by far out weigh the inconvenience. Being a mom is all about sacrifices, right?

So, my Sparky is growing by leaps and bounds every day. He is quickly becoming his own little person with definite personality traits and preferences on how he likes things done. His temperament is consistently mellow and easy going. He's all boy. It's a good thing because Cakes is all girl, and by no means mellow, and has more energy than the Energizer Bunny!

Sparky Pulls Up

It has been a quick 8.5 months since my Sparky was born. It is simply amazing how fast he has gone from a helpless, sleep all the time baby to a fairly mobile, laughing and babbling little boy. In just the last week he has begun to roll across the room to get whatever he's after. He does not crawl yet and perhaps he won't, but he's a pretty fast roller! He also has begun to pull up on anything he can get his hands on. It's so cute to see our little guy standing! He just seems so small to actually be doing it. Cakes was walking at 9 months so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Sparks is eager to start chasing after big sister. He's tired of watching her have all the fun!

Hey Ladies!

I can do it!

I did it!

Visit with MoBe

Hubby's mom aka MoBe (Mom/Becky) came for a visit over a week ago and we had a great time! We always spend the time eating, running around, and shopping. It was another busy visit which included a day long trip to Dollywood. We spent the afternoon watching a show, riding rides, riding the train, and just enjoying each other's company. It could not have been a nicer day!

MoBe, the Hubs, and Cakes.

Isn't this picture so sweet?!

This picture was at the end of the day...can you tell? Cakes had just woke up from a brief nap and was not yet awake and feeling rather grumpy.

I love this picture! When Cakes woke from her nap, she really wanted her Mama to carry her. I was already packing Sparky, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do! I carried the both of them like this for quite a distance. Phew! Talk about some exercise!
One of our favorite things to do is visit the farm at the end of our neighborhood. Of course we had to take MoBe for a walk to see Belle the pony. We also enjoyed some fresh, off the tree Mulberries. Delicious!

MoBe, Hubs, and Cakes under the Mulberry Tree
It was a very nice weekend and we're so glad you could visit with us, MoBe!