Crazy 8 Sale!

Well we all love a good deal on clothes.  Even more than a deal for myself is a deal for itty bitty baby girl clothes.  Let's face it mommas of little girls, we could probably all go broke buying up clothes, shoes, and accessories for our girls.  Everything is just so cute. 

Even before Ryleigh was born, I set myself a $5 limit on any one clothing item.  I shop friends' hand-me-downs and yard sales, clearance racks and try to buy bigger sizes that she will grow into, buy out of season so that it's cheaper, etc.  I've only gone above my $5 limit for a few "novelty" items--a pair of  BabyTMoccs because baby moccasins are adorable, comfortable, and this girl's moccs are about half the price of FreshlyPicked, but she's got great reviews about her quality.  We'll see, we are still waiting on them to arrive! :) We also went over for her UGA baby uggs ($15) that I can't wait for her to wear this fall!! and her Vera Bradley coming home outfit...that she actually didn't wear until she was about a month old because she was such a peanut!

So, yesterday made me really happy.  Crazy 8 [I love their clothes!] is having a big clearance sale and is doing free shipping with the coupon code STANDOUT.  I've been looking into some spring/summer clothes for Ryleigh, and scored everything below for $57 including sales tax!

The dresses and rompers were $4-5/each, the onesie set was $6, the shorts and skirt were $3, the bathing suits were each $5.59.  Hello awesome deal!  I couldn't pass it up, 13 items for $57, making it an average of just over $4 an item, for a great brand and new clothes.  Including bathing suits! Good quality, UV protected bathing suits.  I couldn't believe it!

I'm in love with the little white tankini, it's got sea turtles, seahorses, and fish on it in fun colors.  The rashguard bathing suit is cute but not my favorite print..but who can pass up a suit for $5.59?!   I like that the onesie set is white and coral because those colors are so popular that it's very easy to find matching bottoms to go with them, including the purple skirt and tangerine/coral shorts.  Love the cute coral & yellow romper, it's got rosettes around the neckline which is hard to tell in this picture.  The chambray dress has white and pink bows embroidered on it which I thought is a sweet little outfit for spring either by itself or with some pink leggings on a colder day.  The ikat and butterfly outfits are cute dresses/romper that are nice enough to be worn to weddings but also good for a casual summer day.  And let's face it...with our age group/large group of friends we have about 5-6 weddings to attend every year!

 

5?!

How is my baby 5 months old?! I guess it's true what they say about women forgetting about the pain and intensity of labor, because it seems like February was yesterday but forever ago all at the same time.  On one of mine and Ryleigh's first outings to Target when she was a few weeks old, we saw a couple and their little girl in the baby clothing section, and they were  looking at Ryleigh saying "aww she's so little, they grow so fast...our daughter is 5 months now, I miss her being that small!"  And now, that's me.  Looking at new babies, even ones that were born bigger than Ryleigh, I just can't believe she was ever that little.  She's such a long string bean now, and she's starting to give my arms a good work-out carrying her around.  Her long legs hang off of my lap now when I'm rocking her or feeding her a bottle.  It's crazy how quickly babies change!



RYLEIGH'S 5 MONTH STATS:
[no doctor's appt this month so we're guestimating at home]

Weight: around 16lbs
Height: somewhere near 26-27"

EATING

Slowly transitioning to 5.5-6oz bottles.  We had her on 5oz bottles but she seems to be ending them still a little bit hungry.  She is eating about 30-35oz a day. I'm pumping in the ballpark of 40oz a day, and I notice that if I ever have a day where it's on the low side, eating a cheeseburger is like magic to boost my supply.   

Ryleigh has now tried squash, carrots, peas and green beans, and still loves her sweet potatoes!  She loves them all. I'm convinced that if it's served on a spoon she really doesn't care what it is.  She does seem a little bit happier about the orange veggies though.  She's eating the entire 2oz container, and could always eat more when it's finished.  My little piglet.   


TEETHING
Still nothing poking through, but her drooling and fussiness have steadily increased so I know that it's just a matter of time.

SLEEPING
Baby girl is a wonderful sleeper....at night.  She has the fun habit of fighting naps during the day.  She takes one 2 hour-ish nap, then tends to take about five 20-40 min naps.

 ACTIVITY
Always!  Her little legs never stop moving. She is a master at rolling all around and flips over almost as soon as you lay her down.  She has also discovered Kona this month!  Baby girl loves her fluffy white dog.  She is starting to have a small interest in Reece, but the second Kona is within view she is smiling at him and reaching out for him.  Her jumperoo is one of her absolute favorite things!

DIAPERING
Size 2!

 

CLOTHES
She's mostly 3-6 month sizes, but she's getting so long that some of them are getting a little snug.  Jake put a 6-9 month onesie on her by accident the other day, and I was surprised that it actually wasn't all that big on her.  We will probably move her up a little early to 6-9month size just for added room.

SPECIAL FIRSTS
--1st real belly laughs...this is absolutely adorable!  She will laugh so much she gives herself hiccups :( It's the cutest and saddest thing ever.
--Really good rolling.
--1st Camo outfit (totally noteworthy...)
--1st time in a big pool! She likes water and splashing her feet, but hates sitting in a wet diaper or swim diaper.

House Projects

Ahh the lovely experiences of homeownership.  We have been in our 1st home for 3 1/2 years now.  It's crazy how time flies.  We have already gotten some of the big and little projects off of our my our list, but I think when you own a home there is always the next project that is on the honey-do list either because you want to or because you have to.  Here's a re-cap of some things we've done already...this list is surprising me with how long it actually is:

DOWNSTAIRS

Initial House painting:
Living Room accent wall and Dining Room Faux Finishing, man cave

Thermostat Replacement

Living Room Draperies

The year-long kitchen remodel which included:
Cabinets
Hardware
Granite
Backsplash
Sink
Faucet
Peninsula Chandelier
Accent Wall
Patio Doors

Kitchen artwork


UPSTAIRS

Guest Bath Refresh included painting & over-toilet towel rack

Master Bedroom Remodel included:
Painting
Artwork
New Furniture (when we moved into our house)
Flooring
Rug
Bedding
Draperies

Upstairs Hallway Nightlight Receptacle

Closet Door Giftwrap Organizer

Of course the Nursery/Bedroom3 Remodel which included:
Flooring
Painting
Furniture & décor
Ceiling Fan
 
Then there was the Flood which prompted:
New Washer & Dryer
Ceiling patching & painting
New flooring downstairs
Replacement carpet on 2nd floor hallway and staircase
Replacement Vinyl floor in laundry closet

Hallway art project

Hanging our Photo collage frame on the staircase


 GENERAL

Getting things on the walls always seems to take forever.  We still don't have this completely done.

Having my own space for art/crafting/sewing.  This is a work in progress and my "art corner" from this post actually no longer exists.  Thanks Pack & Play.

Landscaping will be the death of me.  We haven't really done anything in the past couple years.  Probably should get on that.




 ...I've been itching to tackle some projects lately.  I feel like so many rooms are halfway how I want them, or we have things partially done.  Instead of doing a little here and a little there, I think I want to start tackling one thing at a time to completely get it done.  So, look for that list tomorrow and I will of course slowly update as things get checked off the list!

 

What We're Loving Wednesday | My Favorite Blogs

I really love blogs.  Not only writing my own but reading others as well.  Writing this blog started as a way to share what was going on in mine & Jake's life as we were wedding planning and life as newlyweds, since I have a lot of family out of town/state and I could keep everyone in the loop very easily.  Now it's adapted into sharing updates on Ryleigh and other random things going on in our lives.  But mostly Ryleigh.  Cause she's the cute one everyone cares about anyway ;)

I love reading blogs, especially good "mommy blogs" because they give good ideas and some comic relief, and they help you realize that everyone has tough days [like when you're trying to pump in the morning and you hear a diaper explosion happen....] but everyone also has really great moments that make it all worth while.  These are ones I read on a daily basis:

3 Ladies & Their Gent
Amber is a young momma of twin girls and married to her firefighter husband.  She shares stories and photos of her adorable girls, and also some great baby food recipes and toddler eating ideas.  She is a registered dietitian so you can trust that her recipes and toddler meal plans give a nice, balanced diet.

Little Baby Garvin
Jessica is a momma of two girls, Harper and new little baby Eloise.  I think she can be credited with being one to start the chalkboard pregnancy update craze with her cute designs while she was pregnant with Harper.  She is refreshingly open and down to earth, and even her shortest blog posts are entertaining.  I love all of her fashion and decorating ideas.

Mix and Match Family
Shay Shull is the sister of Sean Lowe from the Bachelor.  This is her family blog, I also follow her foodie blog [info below].  She has two adorable kids and shares about everyday life with them and her hubby.  They are travel agents, so she shares stories of their trips and travel ideas for lots of fun places.  They are also currently going through the foreign adoption process so she has started sharing a little bit about that, although she's not giving tons of details until they bring their new daughter home, for privacy. 


And of course the designer in me loves some home décor blogs:

Bower Power
Katie is a wife and a momma to her three little boys.  She and her husband are very into DIY projects so her blog is mostly about that, while mixing in stories of her boys in between.  She is humble and sarcastic and always finds a positive outlook on things.  I wish I had her drive and planning skills to slowly tackle house projects.  I just get overwhelmed with my ideas and never get around to anything.

Tiny Talk
This is a party planning blog from Tiny Prints [a Shutterfly company].  I love seeing their ideas!



And I love, love, love this food blog:
Mix and Match Mama
This is Shay's foodie blog, and the best food blog I've ever found.  Her recipes are amazing and she has a ton of them.  We have tried so many and they have all been delicious...to name a few favorites: Lemonade Pie, S'mores Cookies, Chicken Pot Pie, Caramel Apple Cider Bundt Cake, Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings and the list goes on.  What I love about her recipes are that (1) her apps, dinners, and desserts are all fabulous. Sometimes a source is only really great at one of those categories, but you can get them all from her! (2) they are pretty simple.  You can easily find quick options for a weeknight dinner or last minute dessert to bring somewhere. 



 

 

4 Month Check-Up

RYLEIGH'S 4 MONTH STATS:

Weight:  14lbs 9.5oz
Height:  26" pretty tall! I think that puts her like 95th percentile
Head Circumference:  16.25"

EATING
We have moved up to 5-5 1/2 oz bottles, still breastmilk.  I usually do make her one bottle a day that is an ounce less for before bedtime, since she tends to fall asleep before she finishes the normal size bottle.  She is eating about 30-35oz a day.  We introduced Organic Brown Rice cereal and Ryleigh was loving to get to eat "food" from a spoon.  She's been staring us down when we eat dinner and more recently adding lip smacking and "mmmhmmmmhmm" noises the whole time she watches us eat.  On our anniversary we got Cheesecake Factory to go and while I was eating my piece of cheesecake she literally followed the fork with her eyes for every single one of my bites.  I felt terrible, like we were teasing her, so we let her try some all-natural Sweet Potatoes and let me tell you--baby girl is a fan!  She's clearly not taking after mommy or daddy for this one because neither one of us can stand sweet potatoes.  Our plan is to introduce a new flavor on Saturdays or Sundays as breakfast/lunch so that we can watch her all day to make sure she doesn't have a reaction to it.  Then she will get it for dinner when we get home from work during the week.  Sometimes we mix with rice cereal and sometimes just serve it plain. 


TEETHING
Nothing has poked through yet but we've got some little bumps where the gums are getting pushed up.  We handle her teething pain with frozen teethers, Baby Orajel Naturals, Tylenol, and/or distraction...If we hold her and walk her around/bounce she calms down a little bit but still knaws on her hands.  We got her Hazelaid necklace and shes worn it a few times but I think it would be better on a baby who can sit up on their own.  I don't like how it can lay under her little double chin when she's being supported sitting.  We have shelved that for the next couple months until she can wear it again.

One of my favorite pictures ever!  The perfect shot of the two of them :)

SLEEPING
...through the night!! Whoop whoop! No change since last month.  We've found our morning routine goes a little smoother if we put her to bed in her onesie that she will wear the next day [plus her sleep sack].  That way when she doesn't want to be messed with in the morning because she's tired, we just do a quick diaper change and throw on some shorts.

 ACTIVITY
Always!  Her little legs never stop moving. She is a master at rolling from belly-to-back, and she's rolled back-to-belly a few times.  She attempts it a lot, but often can't figure out how to get her arm out from under her to complete the full roll.  She has also discovered Kona this month!  Baby girl loves her fluffy white dog.  She has pretty much zero interest in Reece, but the second Kona is within view she is smiling at him and reaching out for him.

DIAPERING
We are in the process of moving to Size2 diapers...still Pampers and Luvs.

CLOTHES
She's mostly 3-6 month sizes, but she can still fit into a couple brands 3 month size for shorts/skirts and onesies.

SPECIAL FIRSTS
--attended 1st wedding
--tried first foods - rice cereal and sweet potatoes
--attended first real sporting event [Charlotte Knights game w/mommy's networking group family night]
--Rolled back to belly
--Rolled belly to back
--Celebrated 1st Father's Day....with your first sports jersey [ATL Braves]!

#DoItForDylan

Today one of my friends is celebrating the short life of her son, Dylan.  Dylan and his twin brother, Grant, were born prematurely four years ago.  Grant is a healthy little four year old, but unfortunately today marks 4 years since Dylan's passing.  In honor of Dylan's memory, the family is asking that everyone do an act of kindness today to spread happiness and love.  Buy someone's food who is behind you in a drive-thru, donate to a charity, let someone out ahead of you in traffic, smile at someone who looks like they need it....then share it on Facebook with the hashtag #DoItForDylan. 

 

What a Difference a Year Makes...

Today we are celebrating THREE YEARS as husband and wife...really?!  & what a difference a year makes.  Last year when Jake and I were on our anniversary vacation in Nashville, we were walking around on Broadway one night popping into bars here and there and stopped in at a piano bar.  There was a blank song request paper on our table, and since it was so loud that we couldn't really hear and talk to each other, we started writing. 

We wrote down a wish... "Here's to hoping that next year on our 3rd anniversary we will be a family of 3..." 

Little did we know, we would find out that we were pregnant just days later.

And here we are.  Our little family of 3. 

It's been a wild year that I don't really think you can prepare for, no matter how ready you think you are to have a child.  But we wouldn't have it any other way :)


[and yes, I still have that paper!]