8. months. old.

Yes, I'm aware that this post is late. It's probably because I'm in denial that Ryleigh is somehow already 8 months old...or now actually closer to 9 months...how? how? how?

I've always heard parent friends talk about how all of a sudden, their child seems to have aged a tremendous amount all at once.  Like you turn around and all of a sudden they're 5 years older.  I feel that way about month 8 for Ryleigh.  All of a sudden she's made so many developmental achievements and grown into an almost-toddler.  She's definitely not our infant anymore, and she's always on the move (although that's been since day 1).

 Weight:  18lbs 12oz.

EATING
Drinking 6oz bottles of breastmilk.  I think because of teething, she's eating about 1 less bottle a day, getting around 30oz instead of 36oz.  She seems fine and isn't waking up hungry in the middle of the night (her evening bottle is the one she's skipping) so we don't worry about it too much. 

She's still getting 4oz of baby food a day, although for the last couple weeks that hasn't been on the normal schedule because she's been congested and sick, so I haven't offered food every day because it's more important to make sure she fills up on breastmilk (a lot more calories). 

 

TEETHING
 Check 'em out, yall!  Two little pearly whites :) They came in 3 days apart. That was fun. Not. 

SLEEPING
Still great! Although some congestion over the past week has had her a little off the norm.  She's getting very attached to a couple of her little blankeys--especially the green one above because she loves the silk tags.  She also loves a silky one with a baby doll attached to it from her Grandma & Grandpa.  She rubs the silk on her nose as she sucks her thumb.  We don't let her sleep with one in her crib, but whenever she's napping she's usually in her bouncy seat or stroller and we let her have it.

ACTIVITY
We have a crawler! 

She is loving language.  She will give us the biggest smiles when we ask her to say things.  Lots of times she just smiles and you can tell she's thinking or she wants to say it.  Sometimes she will repeat it after us, and then other times she'll finally blurt something out at a random time like when she's in her jumperoo or when we're driving in the car and she's chatting with herself in the mirror.  She also figured out how to click her tongue this month and she loves to do it and smiles so big to hear the noise, especially if we click our tongues with her.

She now says/has said:
 "Dada"
"Mama"
"Papa" (my father-in-law)
"Kk" referring to Kona
 "Ssssssssssssss"
"Thhhhhhhh"
"Kkkkkk"
"Ba ba ba ba"
"Ta ta ta ta"
"Guh"

She also has said her first phrase, "Hi Dada!" although I think in her mind it's "Hidada" (one word) that you tell everyone, because she'll say "Hi Dada" to anyone and everyone.  We usually say it when Jake gets home from work, so even though she knows he's Dada, she doesn't get it that you need to say a different name for other people.  It's adorable though.  It's almost always accompanied by the cutest little wrist wave. 

She's learning to wave Hi and Bye Bye.

She now claps and does Patty-cake.
  

DIAPERING
Size 3...I feel like we'll be here for a while.

 CLOTHES
 Slowly moving into 12 month for length.



 SPECIAL FIRSTS 
--phrase, Saying "hi da da "
--teeth!!

--crawling

--waving hi

--waving bye bye (different wave than hi)

--new words

--firepit experience and taste of chocolate

--Disney on Ice!!!!!

--sitting up in a highchair at a restaurant

 

 

 

25th Birthday Weekend Recap :)

I had a great 25th Birthday weekend!  Saturday morning my parents came up to visit, and we went out to Windy Hill Orchard's Apple Festival.  It sprinkled a little on us when we first got there, but other than that the weather was nice.  We got to feed some animals, eat some cider donuts and drink some cider!  My dad and Jake did the Hard Cider tasting.  After that we quick snapped this picture by their pumpkins :)

Such a good picture of me and my hubby [..and Ryleigh making her presence known nowadays!]...

After the Orchard we went to Empire 2 for lunch and played in their cornhole tournament.  It was a lot of fun, but sadly we did not come even close to win.

Saturday night was some girl time and window shopping with friends, then made chocolate & pecan covered apples....There are photos of that somewhere but they will never see the light of day! Let's just say that the chocolate was not set before we decided to devour them, so it was a little messy to say the least!

Sunday [my actual birthday] started off with a lazy, snuggly morning watching overloads of New Girl on Netflix with Jake...and the treat of breakfast in bed, in the form of these bad boys:

...Let's just call it a recent craving...

Then, got ready and met a couple friends at the Upscale WeeSale.  It was an interesting experience!  I ended up finding some pretty cute little outfits, mostly jumpers/dresses, for little miss!  I was impressed with the nice brands that they had [Ralph Lauren, The Children's Place, Janie & Jack, Gymboree] and most clothing items were priced around $4-6.  The last day prices were cut in half, so we ended up paying $1.50-3 for each of these:

 

 

Black corduroy dress with matching bloomer, 6-9 months from Baby Gap  $3.00

Brown and Pink ruffled leggings, 6 months from Carter's  $2.25 for the set 

 

Jean & Plaid jumper, 6-9 months from The Children's Place $1.50

Autumn Plaid jumper, 6 months from Gymboree $1.50

 

Khaki embroidered jumper, 6 months from Gymboree  $1.50

Jean Capris, 6 months from Janie & Jack  $1.50

 

and my absolute favorite for many reasons [UGA colors, super cute, plaid, and still had tags on!]

Red & Black plaid jumper, 6 months from Ralph Lauren  $3.00

 

Yes, ladies and gents, those are serious deals!  I also got myself a pair of black maternity leggings that were Ingrid & Isabel for only $3.00! 

 

The grand total for everything came to $18.99 with sales tax :)  Even Jake was proud of those deals!

 

 

 

I ended my birthday with a fun dinner with some friends and Jake's side of the family at...wait for it...Charandas! You were surprised, weren't you?! haha we do love that place :)

 

Go Dawgs!

Ahh, football season has finally begun!  We are going big for the UGA vs. Clemson game this weekend. 

A couple friends came over last night to help me whip up some of our tailgating munchies.  So far on the list:

• Buffalo Chicken dip [tripled the recipe!] going to be in the crock pot
• Macaroni Salad
• Vanilla Chip Rice Crispy Treats
• Chocolate Chip cookies [homemade, the only way to go...]
• Peanut Butter Brownie Bites
• Red Pepper Jelly & Cream Cheese dip
• Chips & Pretzels [ok, so we didn't make these]

Others are also bringing a fruit tray and some 7 Layer Taco Dip, yum!  I am so looking forward to the food this weekend.  I am so NOT looking forward to the fact that it's going to be 87 degrees all day.  At least we will have an industrial fan and several tents to hopefully cool off under (I told you, we're doing it big!).  I'm halfway considering getting water balloons. Too much?

 

Baby Clothes Cuteness...

I know that I should be patient, but I would really like to fast-forward about 5 weeks so that I know if Little Bit is a he or a she.  I know at as soon as they are here I will be praying for time to stand still, but I can't help but want to be able to get a better idea of what our near future will be like.  I can't stop looking at cute baby clothes and baby items online, and [being the bargain shopper that I am] I would be scooping up so many clearance deals! Like these...

Also, can we please take a minute to talk about the overload of amazing that is Carter's Halloween costumes?!  Here are my favs:

For a little Mister...

or a little Miss :)

Only NINE more days until it is September, which means officially time to break out the Fall decorations, scarves, boots, cider, pumpkins, and spice candles....Makes my heart happy :)

 

Christmas in July..

Anyone else getting really excited for the upcoming Fall and Winter holidays?

I feel like this happens to me almost every year once the 4th of July passes.  We're halfway through the Summer season but I'm already getting over it and ready for Fall...Football season, pumpkin spice, cider, scarves, cozy sweaters, boots, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, buying Christmas presents....it goes on and on.  My favorite time of the year!

 

 

Decorating and holiday parties and baking cookies....Anyone else as excited as me?

 

Very Thankful

 

I apologize for being such a slacker with my blog lately.  I feel like this year is flying by before my very eyes and it seems like the time to get on here can never be found.  But alas, I thought I would get into the spirit of Thanksgiving week and join in on the Thankful posts. The daily thing on facebook is a bit much for me but I thought I would compile my list here.  I'll tackle a few a day throughout the week..

Sometimes we get so complacent throughout the year and around the holidays it really gives us time to sit down and think about all of the wonderful people and experiences that we have in our lives. Sitting here thinking about everything now honestly just puts a smile on my face because I do feel so blessed and happy...People always say that they don't want to get older but I am having the best time with this phase in my life.  I feel like for myself and my friends...we've all made it to that point where we are settled into our adulthood.  We're not the "fresh out of college" group anymore.  We've settled into our careers and our routines, we're getting established and promoted.  We've bought houses and cars; taken big vacations that we've actually paid for.  We've had real life struggles and slowly but surely made it through.  We've "paid our dues" and are now on the upside.  It makes me so proud to see the growth and success.  Will we have more hard times, undoubtedly!  But we've proven that we have what it takes.  Two weeks ago Winthrop had it's homecoming basketball game and a bunch of my college friends came into town for our annual girls weekend.  I love that we have that one weekend a year that we know we can count on to get all of our schedules aligned and get together.  It was our first year having our own alumni tailgate.  We learned about a few things that we will change for next year but it was definitely a great decision and we really enjoyed it.  Now, if only Winthrop's basketball team would get back to the greatness of our Freshman and Sophomore years at Winthrop!   It was so funny to see how much things have changed, but how happy we are with that.  Looking at the groups of friends and WU Alumni who are in their 30's, all meeting up with their little kids and tailgating...realizing that in what seems like a few short years that will be us.  It doesn't make me scared for the future, it makes me excited for it! 

So I guess with all of that in mind, here's my list...

1.  I am thankful for Jake.  I am thankful for who he is as a person and who he is as a partner.   I am thankful for the way that he balances me and the way that we work together.  I'm thankful for our differences and our similarities.  While we both thought that we were headed down different paths in life, I'm so thankful for God's greater plan helping us find our way to each other.  I'm sure that you are thinking "Duh" right now, but it's a feeling of thankfulness that I never knew existed until we got married.  While we were dating of course I was thankful and felt so lucky to have found someone who I thought was so perfect for me, but after getting married small things just started adding up and made me find this whole new level of appreciation.  Even though we had been together for almost five years by the time we got married, and even though we were already living together, there is something that changes.  I guess it's because "forever" actually becomes reality and for the first time that actually sinks in.    

2.  I'm thankful for my big family.  The one that I was born into and the one that I married into.  As a kid I remember doing a project in school where we were writing down the number of siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. in our families.  My Mom has a big Italian Catholic family and my Dad was adopted, and later in life he found his birth parents so that makes for a huge family.  I remember writing down that I have over 20 first cousins, and how some of the kids in my class only had one or two, or none at all.  While it can get crazy trying to coordinate schedules, especially around the holidays, I can't imgaine not having a house full of people celebrating together.  

3.  and 4.  Reece and Kona.  You just do not even understand how much I love my furbabies.  They are my first and second children, they are spoiled rotten, and I would not have it any other way.  While I know dogs are nothing like real children, they have definitely helped prepare us for our future little ones by giving us responsibility and letting us know that the world does not operate on our own personal schedules. 

5.  Friendships.  Old and new.  I've always been the "social butterfly" as my parents called it.  Maybe it comes from moving a few times growing up or maybe that's just me.  Yes, I was one of those crazy people who had a ton of bridesmaids in my wedding.  I've never been the type of person who had only one best friend.  Each one of my friends "gets me" in a different but completely perfect way and I'm so grateful that I have those people who know everything I want to say with just a look.

6.  Our church.  After buying our house we found Allison Creek Presbyterian Church and it could not be a more perfect fit for us.  I've never felt more welcome or at home in a church, and Jake and I laugh about it because honestly we are probably the youngest couple in the small congregation by about 10 years, with the exception of one or two others.  

7.  Art.  For my ability to do it and for the way that it allows me to express myself and connect with people.

8.  Our country and our military.  For freedom, pride, and patriotism.

9.  Education and teachers.  Especially for the teachers who have had a great impact on my life, encouraged me and inspired me. 

10.  My job.  For doing something that I enjoy with co-workers that are fun to be around.  I definitely learned through previous jobs that this is not always the case and it is such a blessing when you find it!

11.  The medical field.  For the advances that it has made and for the talented doctors working towards cures for cancers and diseases.  For the technology that they have developed that makes things like my Lasik surgery possible :)

....that's all for now, more to come!

October!

Oh, October.... <3

The prettiest month of the year, in my opinion, and a month of such fun things! What's coming up this month for us?  -My Daddy's 50th birthday (tomorrow)-  -6 years together (10/13)-  -My birthday (10/20)-  -Halloween fun-  -Pumpkins-  -Pretty leaves-  -Scarves- -Football and football tailgates- -Haunted houses- -Spice-scented candles-  -Caramel Apples- -Apple Cider- -Friend's birthdays-   ...and at the end of the month, my LASIK eye surgery consultation!  I'm a little bit nervous but so excited for how much it could impact my everyday routine.  Little things that people don't even think of, like having to search for my glasses before I take the dogs downstairs to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or not being able to snuggle while watching a movie at night because I don't want to fall asleep in my contacts and don't want to bend/break my glasses.  Being able to open my eyes under water at the pool or the lake because I won't need to worry about losing a contact lens.  It will probably make me get ready at least 10 minutes quicker because I will be able to actually see what I'm doing.  I can only image how helpful it would be once we have kids and I'm waking up at all hours of the night and needing to get ready quickly in the mornings.  Not to mention all of the money it will save over time, since I won't be shelling out $350 a year on contacts and saline solution for the rest of my life.  As long as the consult goes well, my surgery should be the morning of November 2nd at TLC in Charlotte!!      

And in closing, here are some shots from the boat this weekend...We went out with my friends Karen and Shanti, and Shanti's family.  Their little girl Reina is seriously the cutest ever:

cool view

The boys relaxing

me & Reina

driving the boat

see if she likes the water...

loving the water & her buddy Jake

just before sunset Friday evening

    More trips to come!

Apple Cider, Caramel....YUM

So, my phone case came in and I love it!  The prettiest shade of turquoise.  I wasn't sure if the picture was going to be the same as in person, but it was.  I'm thinking about getting a monogrammed sticker to put on the back of it, but I'm not sure if it would stick well to the rubberized texture of the case--anyone tried that before?  Believe it or not, the only thing I got after our wedding with my monogram on it was a purse that was a gift from my parents, but since I tend to wear out purses that one is no longer around :(  I need to get some more stuff!  I have really been wanting a small monogrammed gold pendant necklace, but finding one with a monogram as small as I want is proving hard (or at least, without paying out the wazoo for it).


My parents are up in Cape Cod on their anniversary trip this week and seem to be having the best time!  They have been texting me pictures and it looks like such a beautiful place.  They woke up early at the B&B to get on the morning ferry and they are spending the day on Martha's Vineyard today.  I will try to load some pictures and post on here.
 

I had a really fun weekend...I went to a Bridal show in Columbia with my friend Eden.  It was a lot of fun! I never went to any when Jake and I were engaged.  It was neat to see all the different vendors and all of the raffles/contests, etc.  We registered for a ton of free things so hopefully Eden will get a call this week that she won something!  They were giving away everything from $200 gift cards to full honeymoons. 

Before that, on Friday night I went over to my friend Shanti's and we baked some cookies and snacks for a girl's night in with our interior design friends on Saturday.  The cookies we baked were called Apple Cider Caramel Cookies and boy were they good!!  I love anything involving cider, and these were so easy to make too!  I thought I would share the recipe so that yall can try it out too...

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, nearly melted
1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (7.4 ounce) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix *Not sugar free*
2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. It has to be parchment this time.

2. In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt, and all 10 packets of apple cider mix until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined.

3. With a standard (size 50) cookie scoop, scoop the dough scrapping off the excess as you go up the bowl. Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place a caramel in the center. Work the dough around the caramel sealing well. Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheets.

4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. After baking, carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto the counter. Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm. Twist gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on the parchment or on a cooling rack.

 

 

Seriously, amazing.  I ate like a fatty king on Saturday because before Girl's Night I went up to the Yiasou Greek Festival with Iris and got a gyro & the American version of a  greek salad.  ALWAYS a winner in my book.  

 

That's all for now.  My hubby is finally back in town from his working out of town and softball tournament this past weekend (They got 5th overall :/ ) so we can finally relax and enjoy each other!!  The doggies and I have missed him a bunch...although Kona has been loving sleeping up on our bed:)  He was mad at Jake last night because he wasn't allowed up, haha.  

Summer Schedule

I feel like our Summer schedule has been crazy.  We have so much going on, it feels like every weekend.  This past weekend was so much fun, visiting with friends who were in town for a friend's bachelor party.  On Saturday it was the first time in I could not tell you how long that Jake and I got to just sleep in and be lazy on a Saturday morning.  Even the pups were tired and lounging, they didn't even beg to go outside.  I finally woke up and got out of bed to make some breakfast (scrambled eggs) that I brought back upstairs so we could eat in bed while we watched This Means War with Reese Witherspoon.  Very cute movie.  Jake totally called the ending--I thought it might be a little bit different.  Around 2:00 Melissa & Amit got into town, we dropped them off to do all of their Bachelor party festivities and Melissa and I got to spend the day shopping and a dinner at Enso.  Enso was amazing as always--best sushi in Charlotte in my opinion.  Also a very cool atmosphere.

This weekend we have our friends' wedding, which makes it a little mini-reunion with our college friends so I always love those occasions.  I'm hoping for some pool time and hopefully a trip to the driving range on Sunday since I haven't been out there in a few weeks.

Then for the next two weekends I have baby showers & 1st birthday parties on the Saturday's...I guess that is what life is like when you're our age!  I just got one of the baby shower gifts I ordered in the mail yesterday and it is so precious!!  Even cuter than the picture :)

Also, today I mailed in my entry for the Arts Council's juried competition...we will see if I get selected to be a part of it.  You mail them a cd with the image of your artwork and then they narrow it down to the ones who will be on display and a part of the contest.  I forget the exact day when you find out if you're chosen but I'll update once I find out!



Small Accomplishment:  Last night I did my Insanity workouts (yes plural, it was also an ab video day)...and I kept up with Tonya!!! For any of you who have done Insanity, you know what I mean! haha  I've also decided that on some days, probably my "Cardio Recovery" days, I am going to start running a mile as well.  The loop around the middle of our neighborhood is exactly a mile.  It's a nice little scenic run with some hills so it's a good workout.  I figure that since I'm running the Color Run this November I should mix in a little bit of that too, even though part of the Insanity warm-up is jogging/sprinting in place.

Kiss the Cook :)

So...A lot has been accomplished with our kitchen remodel...The cabinets have been ordered and should be coming in this week! They are going to be installed Halloween weekend (hopefully) and the granite should go in the week after that. I am still trying to figure out the design and materials for the backsplash.

Here is a peek:

Cabinetry Style, Crimson Shaker

New kitchen faucet, love this! The one we have now is terrible.

We are not going to use the soap dispenser or the base plate, it will just be the faucet straight on the countertop. At work we used the single-hole faucets all the time and it is such a nice, clean look on granite countertops. It is also a pull-out sprayer style which is going to be very nice!

Our Granite...Love this! The picture doesn't do it justice...

I am so excited because Jake and I did not think that we would be able to get everything done before Thanksgiving, but it is looking like we will :) We are hoping to host some family holiday gatherings so it will be nice to have the extra counter space with the peninsula we are adding.

I will post more updates as the project goes on.

For other updates...We had a really fun Oktoberfest get-together this weekend and it was so nice to get to see our friends from out of town. The food was great too! I had some help from my mom and our friend, April, and we ended up with a lot of really yummy stuff! I can't wait for Winthrop's homecoming weekend when everyone is coming back into town.

I have this week off as I am transitioning between my old and new job, and it is going to be FANTASTIC to get so much done and have a chance to relax for once.

We also had a meeting at church tonight to become official members of the church. We have been going there since shortly after we moved into our house at the end of January and are excited to be an official part of the church, even though we feel like we are already.

I will leave you with some pictures of the cuties...

Okay, Finally an Update!

Soo much to update on, where to begin.....

Sunday School:

I can't remember if I ever wrote about how Jake and I teach the 3-4yr old Sunday school class at our church, but we do. We started in August, and the kids are so sweet. They are so innocent and happy. We have really been enjoying it.

Mom & Dad's 30th Anniversary Trip:

We are sending my parents to CAPE COD! It is somewhere that we always remembered them wanting to visit but have never had the chance. I can't wait for them to be able to take the trip, for the big honeymoon trip that they were never able to take 30 years ago. I don't think they will ever quite know how much I admire them, and the way that they have been such a testament to their vows. They definitely deserve this :) They are staying at a very cute B&B in the mid-cape, the Captain Kelley House.

Kitchen Remodel:

I am hoping to go in the morning to finalize our cabinet choice for the kitchen. I am really hoping that these are the solution we have been looking for, because I would hate to have to go back to square 1. Once I have the cabinets chosen and a door sample, I need to visit the slab yard to choose our granite counters. I am excited that we are getting closer! We didn't think that we would be able to have it done before Thanksgiving, but the cabinets do not have a long lead time so it may be able to happen after all!

Work:

I GOT A NEW JOB!! I am so excited about all of the new possibilities and having a much more normal schedule. I am really looking forward to the change of pace, not working Saturdays, attending industry events and networking, and getting back into Commercial. I can't wait to start in a couple of weeks.

Fall Plans:

With my weekends opening up, I am packing my schedule full! I can't wait for haunted houses, Halloween, visiting friends, Winthrop Homecoming, going to a Georgia game, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, the Lady Antebellum concert, etc!

That is all for now, goodnight!

Decor Fun

Here are some updates for the holiday decorations at our house:

Fall tablescape in our Dining Room

The close-up...The ivory candle holders are from our wedding reception, and the rest I found for $6 or less on sale at Hobby Lobby :)

Decoration on our stair rail, not quite finished with it yet. It needs some more accents.

Halloween Decorations

On another note, we had a scary night tonight. Reece started having a seizure while playing with Kona earlier, so we rushed him to the emergency vet. On the way there, he had another seizure in the car. It was so scary, he was so afraid and he was shaking, his muscles tensing up and convulsing. After the second seizure he pretty much went back to normal. He was wagging his tail, acting energetic like nothing ever happened. We still had him examined and the verdict is 97% sure it's Epilepsy. The doctor said he could start having seizures once a month, or may never have another one again. She said it's nothing to worry about until it's once a month and he would need medication. I think Kona was more affected by it than Reece was. He was so upset, not to mention the usual separation anxiety. While it was happening he kept trying to kiss Reece, and wouldn't leave his side once we got back home. Now he is passed out on the floor in the man cave, all the worrying took a lot out of him.