beau andrew | four months

Guess who's four months old?! This guy!

He is changing SO much developmentally, it's really amazing to watch! 

Beau:

- has rolled over from front to back 6 times, but never can do it consistently (or on command)

- is wearing size 3 diapers

- is in 9 and 12 month jammies and I cry a little inside when I read the tags

-we're packing away a 3-6 month outfit (and sometimes a 6 month) outfit every day as he seems to outgrow them overnight. He is wearing up to 12 month clothes and size 3 shoes. Toddler socks seem to fit the best over his big cankles (we also call them his 'lower thighs' haha)

- is sleeping anywhere from 7-9.5 hour stretches at night but sometimes surprises me and wakes me up at 3am for an extra feeding. Oh well!

-loves being stood up on your lap so he can look around

-is perfectly happy to sit on your lap and look outward at the world

-has pretty much mastered taking his paci out and putting it back in

-loves bathtime (or anything for that matter) with his daddy

-is still exclusively breastfed and not planning on starting solids until 6 months 

-is getting better and better every day with reaching and grabbing onto toys, faces, hair...

-is showing more moods (as evidenced in the photos below)

-is getting harder and harder to capture photos of...he is always moving and rarely looks at the camera or cooperates, but it's still fun to try :)

-is starting to be more vocal when he wants something; crying hard when he is put down if he doesn't want to be or letting us know when he is tired of something.

-still LOVES being held and that can usually stop any tears.

-is working on sitting up for seconds at a time (still leans forward and to the side after a few seconds)

-is working on sitting in the Bumbo but it isn't quite mastered. We got the Bumbo multi seat that grows with the baby but we had to take out the squishy insert already because the play tray doesn't fit over his legs. So that's a little tricky...

-sits in his high chair daily and plays with toys

-transitioned to double swaddling with a muslin blanket and the woombie after he grew out of the miracle blanket. Without the muslin blanket, he was throwing his arms and legs up and turning onto his side, all while still wrapped in the woombie (he basically looks like a worm). The blanket helps keep him stiffer so he doesn't accidentally roll over.

Here's a few things we've been up to this month:

travel diaries | mom's 60th birthday bash in Broken Bow

Brace yourselves. 

I spent 4 days here over Christmas break:

...between my sister and myself, we took TONS of photos. I'm sharing just a 'few' of my favorites...

Back in July, my sister and I came up with a plan to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday. She isn't big on surprise parties but we still wanted to do something grand. Instead, we got my dad involved and rented a cabin in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. After Mark and I went last year, we knew it would be a fun getaway for the entire family (because my mom loves nothing more than spending time with us!)

We went up to Broken Bow on Sunday the 27th. Mark and I left around noon and got to the cabin around 3:30 after a rainy but safe drive. My parents left around 2 and my sister's family left shortly after that. They encountered the same amount of rain but since it was later in the day, the creek levels in the area had risen. My parents ended up crossing two high water areas (white knuckles and all) and my sister and her family ended up having to turn around just 1/2 mile from our cabin because they couldn't cross a rushing creek to get to us. Sadly, they had to stay in another cabin on the first night but the water went down the next morning and they joined us on the 28th, my mom's actual birthday. Mark and I (and Beau) were thankfully able to entertain the old folks until they got there. 

The day was mostly spent around the house. The cabin had two decks (unfortunately it was rainy the whole time we were there so we couldn't spend much time there) and included some playground equipment and a hot tub. Much of the day was spent keeping up with the kids, and occasionally breaking for food. :)

We sat by the fire and watched our fair share of college football, too. It was a great day! 

We ended up eating at a tex-mex place for dinner that was surprisingly good (our standards weren't high in Broken Bow, population 4,000) and opened presents back at the cabin, followed by playtime with Beau, games, and cupcakes before bed.

We played more games the next day, took some family photos, and went on a hike. The kids and their parents only did about 1/2 a mile but Mark, my parents, Beau, and I went on to hike 2 miles before we had to turn around and go back because of high water (see a theme here?)

outside

inside

'mom face' (except for Mark and Beau - bad sports)

We ended the weekend with a sad Tech bowl game and a safe drive home, complete with lunch at Chicken Express with the whole crew. We had a great time and welcomed my mom's next decade in with a bang!

a BIG year!

2015 was a BIG year for us! We paid off our debt at the beginning of the year, announced a pregnancy, I resigned from my job, and we had a baby! I loved writing here and making new friends in the blog community. Here are some of my top posts of 2015:

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wrapping it up | I need mama input!!!

I polled my fellow smart mamas on some options for babywearing. I got SO much input on whether to go structured or wrap and I ended up using both!

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heartbroken

This sad post was me pouring my heart out after learning about Beau's genetic condition, hemihypertrophy. It was therapeutic to me and so, so encouraging to hear feedback and support from friends and family after sharing this personal part of my life.

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a wonderful, whimsical, woodland nursery | baby boy's nursery reveal

With much anticipation, I revealed the nursery I put together for Beau. I still love sitting in his nursery and look forward to sharing all of the changes that come as he ages!

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How we paid off over $22k in less than one year

After lots of hard work, Mark and I paid off our debt at the beginning of the year. Being debt free was a big part of our decision for me to stay home with  Beau and we are so happy to be debt free!

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diaper bag essentials

 

My biggest post this year was this sponsored post for Snickers. Along with being a stay at home mom, I have been putting more focus into other ways of making money. Blogging, as well as my Etsy shop, serves as my creative outlet and I also get the opportunity to make money in the process. Sponsored posts help me support my family. 

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Thank you for reading and following in 2015, I can't wait to see what 2016 brings!