6 months.... No it can't be!!!

I have been horrible lately with updated this blog! Elizabeth has grown leaps and bounds over the last month and I felt it necessary to share the big happenings in our home!

Here a little dose of our precious baby girl!

Height: 27 inches
Weight: 14 lbs 13 ounces

Food, food and more food please! She is having four meals everyday. Breakfast; is a solid 9 ounce bottle with rice mixed in. Lunch; 6 ounce bottle and one full container of baby food. Dinner is another 6 ounce bottle with a full container of baby food. Night time bottle of 8 ounces. Right now, she doesn't seem to enjoy bananas which I find quite strange, but she is quite fond of sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and peas.

Movement! (Big month!)
Elizabeth is now sitting up on her own. She has been strong enough to sit up for a while, but was totally uninterested in it. She will occasionally fall over, but most of the time that is strictly because she is reaching for a toy that might be a bit too far away. She rolls everywhere and has started to scoot like a little caterpillar. I am sure crawling is within a week or two because she is scooting her knees and legs up and is trying her hardest to figure out this whole "crawling" business. If she wants a toy, she will get it. No stopping her.

Clothes... Whew!
She is still in 3 to 6 months and bless her heart she is skinny and long! Her length will cause us to go to 6 to 9 months very soon, which will make it a fun fight trying to keep her clothes from falling off. :)

Sleep routine...
She has slept through the night since she was two weeks old, but occasionally she will fuss in the night normally around 3 or 4; I'll go in, put the pacifier in her mouth and she will go back to sleep till at least 7. If she isn't crying when she wakes up I will let her play in her crib for a little while. It is so cute to hear all the little noises she makes! Quite the little talker.

Can this fit into my mouth...
Right now EVERYTHING goes straight to her mouth. A toy, her hands, her feet, my hand, cups, anything she can get her hands on will immediately go to her mouth.

Endless love and energy!
She loves anyone that she meets and unless she is hungry or needs a diaper change she is quite a pleasant baby. She is full of energy and I am sure this is only the beginning!


Elizabeth was dedicated on Mother's Day at the Grove Church in Fayetteville. It was a great day for our family and loved having my parents, brother, grandparents and mother-in-law in town for the occasion. She was a hoot on stage and was talking up a storm to our pastor. Hilarious!

What's new with her Mommy...
Right now I am trying to figure out where I want my career to go once Elizabeth starts Pre-School. I went from being so involved in college to being a full time mommy (which I adore), but occasionally I do go a bit stir crazy and need to put my attention on something other than mommylife. With my degree I can teach or pursue something in the realm of personal training, health/wellness/fitness; both of which I love! Quite a battle going on in my head right now. I have given this over to God and hope he will bring me some peace in a decision soon! She will be in pre-school before we know it!

Happy Tuesday!

A dose of 5 months!

It truly is amazing the changes in E every single day! What is new with her this month?

• Bottle just doesn't suffice, we are onto Gerber stage 1. I have been putting rice cereal in her body for nearly a month and a few weeks ago she finally started taking to the spoon. It is crazy the messes we make when we eat now.

We have 4 bottles throughout the day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and nigh time bottle. The three during the day are normally 7 to 8 ounces with at least an inch of rice cereal to thicken it. The nighttime bottle has a bit more rice cereal so she doesn't wake up starving in the morning. Daddy does bedtime every night and brings her to me in her room for bottle and rocking. She really is quite a lovely baby because it doesn't take too long to get her to sleep. Most of the time she is asleep even before she finishes her bottle.

• Clothes...She is finally in 3 to 6 months clothes, but is nearing 26 inches long but is only 13 lbs.... This means 6 months is too big but is long enough for her. Such a predicament. I manage to go through several outfits every day before we find one that fits right. Too small or too large, but occasionally we run into something that fits perfect. :)

• Talking... She talks up a storm and has such a sweet disposition. I guess with two extravert parents who were told to be quiet for years in school would result in a talkative child. We have started hearing wa wa wa, which is a new sound that is quite fun to hear.

• Playing... She has started reaching for toys, bottles, cups, plates, tables, watches, hair, you name it, she will reach for it. She loves anything that makes noises and she adores music. She loves putting things in her mouth, especially hands, toys, cups, spoons. Quite hilarious. She plays with her toes more than anything and I think her hands taste as good as the bottle some days. If you leave your shirt near her mouth, it will become her chew toy. My granddad's shoulder get's soaked! She is incredibly curious about her surroundings and it is precious to watch.
  

• Teeth... she has a couple teeth you can feel if you push against her top gum. This would explain the enormous drooling and the fact that a bib is apart of her wardrobe not for spit up purposes but to catch the drool.

• Movement... she is so close to sitting up on her own, but she prefers rolling all over the floor over sitting up, right now. If a Disney movie is on she will turn, twist, sit her body in any way so that she can see the TV. Pretty cute! She has become quite ticklish too

• People... she will look if you around if you say Elizabeth, Momma or Dadda. When Daddy gets home from work, its Daddy time and she makes it known. She loves people to talk to her and will smile at anyone. She can't get enough of Mimi's long hair, she loves Gran's glasses, she watches everyone as they eat (Wondering...where's mine) :)

• Sleep... She has slept through the night since she was two weeks old, which was incredible!!!! Occasionally we will have a night where she will fuss around 3 or 4, but a pacifier will easily put her back to sleep. She typically goes to bed around 8:45 and wakes up around 7:15 to 8am. It depends on how much she has played the day before.

SICKNESS... For nearly a month she has been battling bronchitis and a now a sinus infection. I am amazed at what she can catch even when she is staying at home with me. But she has been quite the trooper and I have been in awe of the fact that she still has fun and plays during the day despite her not feeling as perky as normal.


She is a complete joy and HUGE blessing in our lives! We adore her and can't get enough.

Just a little dose of baby Elizabeth!

Itty Bitty Teenie Weenie Polka Dot Bikini

Whew! Life has been a bit hectic lately!

Today I continued to think about where I am wanting to take my career once E starts school full-time. I thought my mind was set on teaching elementary, but it seems that isn't the case, for the moment anyway. Although I absolutely adore being a stay at home mom, I have been desiring to find something to do outside of my precious munchkin. My degree from the University of Arkansas was in Kinesiology Education K-12, which gives me a lot of options career wise....I can choose the grade level I want to teach and take the Praxis examinations for that particular area or I could do virtually anything within the health and nutrition arena. One thing that came to my mind today was personal training. I thought back to my days of competing in Miss Arkansas and realized that outside of interview and talent, one key area of VAST importance is looking your absolute best in that teenie weenie bikini! My last year competing in Miss Arkansas, I realized it wasn't about having the best body, but about truly shining from the neck up and being confident in who I was. Yes, I had worked incredibly hard to get into the best shape I possibly could and was still doing lunges up until the moment I walked out on stage, but I was finally at a point where I was just trying to be me. I knew where my weak areas were with swimsuit and I worked on those up until the very last moment I could. This realization today caused me to think...Maybe I could give back to the organization that gave so much to me. I have had my own personal struggles with disordered eating, so as I prepared for Miss Arkansas I never was going to be apart of the starvation diet, but changed my lifestyle so that I could be in the best shape for me. Things I adore, working with people, seeing people achieve there goals while maintaining true to themselves and pushing people to reach beyond what they think is possible. One thing I thought about....I would not be a trainer that would sit back and let you do all the work while I watched, but would join in with you. I'm all about active participation. Right now, I am trying to figure out the feasibility of wanting to be a personal trainer and also the reality of would those girls going to compete at Miss Arkansas even want me as a trainer. . We have to all reach a point where we realize showing an airbrushed magazine picture and saying... "Make me look like this", is unrealistic. But I want to be able to help those I work with to realize that your own perfected bikini body isn't out of reach. Right now, I am thinking, personalized workout routines to fit that individual girl, working on the walk, poses, finding the perfect swimsuit, and how to eat "real" food as one prepares to walk out on stage with a smile from the inside out. What I am applying to those girls competing for MA can also be applied to anyone, minus a few points here and there ha-ha! :)

My degree has given me the education on what working out and healthy eating does to one's body; and my personal experience with countless personal trainers and competing gives me much insight into the fact that a one size fits all mold doesn't work. Even though I did win a swimsuit award at MA, this isn't about winning awards, but about being able to help girls of all shapes and sizes be truly confident in who God designed them to be :)....Obtaining a personal training certification could be quite a fun venture for me!

Just my thoughts from today....

Fried and Saucy!!

After Justin got home from work he told me we needed to go for a drive. I didn't know where we needed to go, but he reminded me that he in fact does read my blog and he remembered that yesterday was "Must Try Tuesday". Once E woke up we got in the car and went for a ride and somehow managed to end up at Slim Chicken's. As many of you may or may not know, I went through a phase in my life where I was literally afraid to eat "fried" foods; and as a result I've never tried Slims, nor the fabulous Slim Sauce. Slim's is now a new favorite of mine. Delicious! If you haven't been, it is a must visit!

The past few days have been a little rough in our house! One reason being sickness. Elizabeth has come down with bronchitis and now I have developed something too. Nothing like a little one to teach you to keep on trucking. It is quite amazing because she has yet to act like her sickness bother's her too much. Now that we have started her on the breathing treatments, she is coughing more than she was, which scared me half to death. The doctor said it was completely normal and would infact help her heal. She's a trooper! Medicine seems to be helping both of us, thanks to Daddy for picking it up, but sheer exhaustion has set in.

Realization.....Over the years I have become someone who thrives on making other people happy, and at times it is at the expense of my own happiness. I try to live in a world of butterflies, but life is not always roses and rainbows, but one thing I do know is that the joy a child brings to your life can never be replaced nor removed. Her eyes when she see's her Daddy can bring tears to my eyes and I can never give her enough kisses. Elizabeth is my rainbows and butterflies :)

After visiting the doctor yesterday, Elizabeth is now at 11lbs 11 ounces and nearing 26 inches long. We are still struggling with the issue of her getting too long for 0 to 3 but too skinny for 3 to 6 months. Looks like we might just be wearing baggy clothes as we put some more weight on :)

Much Love! Happy Wednesday

Under the weather and the BIG 4

Elizabeth hasn't caught a cold since she was born and I was truly elated! But, I may have spoke too soon! Starting Thursday of last week she started to get a stuffy nose and I began to give her saline drops in her nose to keep it moist. Over the weekend that stuffy nose turned into a congested cough and an even stuffer nose. On the bright side, it doesn't seem to be bothering her, but it sure does make Mommy hurt each time she coughs. Luckily no need to schedule a doctor's appointment though, because we go tomorrow for a monthly routine checkup! Yippee!

Saturday E turned 4 months old!!! She is changing everyday and it is amazing what a blessing she is to Justin and I.
What's new with E?
Rolling over
Takes 5 ounces of formula 4 to 5 times a day
Bed time around 8:30pm (Daddy gets her ready for bed and brings her to me in her room for mommy daughter feeding, burping and bedtime)
Experimenting with baby rice cereal
Mobile in her crib (she moves from one side to the other during the night) too cute!
She is incredibly strong with her legs and arms. I keep thinking she is going to try to crawl, but we aren't quite there yet.
She has serious vocals! I guess with two extrovert parents, she would be a talker too!
Absolutely adores all kinds of music. American Idol... (Jacob Lusk and Scotty McCreery keep her attention during entire song)
Still wearing 0 to 3 months
Using her pacifer less and less everyday. Hurray!
Loves her Daddy, it is amazing the laughter he brings out in her. She loves on Mommy, but laughs with Daddy. I guess that is okay though.
Realized she can look at herself during bathtime in the mirror. Precious
Splashes all the water out of her tub and all over Daddy
Loves to love and hug on all her toys. Especially, Abby, Charlie and Pluto (Yes, we have named them) :)

So much is happening and changing with our little one, but these are a few things that come to mind.

Tomorrow is must try Tuesday! :)

Much love!

Favorite Edible Items!

Today I added another item to one of my favorite edible items! Almond Joy candy bars :)

One of the presents Justin got me for Valentine's Day was a box of chocolates. Story behind this box of chocolates is that his grandfather before he passed away always gave his mom and his grandmother a box of chocolates on Valentine's Day. Justin wanted to start this tradition with our family and I was elated because I do LOVE chocolate! I can't wait for Elizabeth to start getting her own box of chocolates from Daddy too.

One of my favorite chocolates inside the box was the coconut covered in chocolate. Justin doesn't like coconut so he made sure to leave those for me....... "How nice of him" ha-ha! But, oddly enough those turned out to be the ones I enjoyed the most. Today I took a trip to Wal-Mart to get a few items for my "mother's" meatloaf recipe (which I must say is fabulous!) and I came upon the $1 dollar snack size snickers, almond joys, and reese's packages. My love of coconut, almonds and chocolate made me fully believe I would find the almond joy delicious. I grabbed a couple packages and headed towards the checkout! Of course, I had far too many items that were not on my list that some how managed to make it into the cart. I think Elizabeth put it in there without me looking. :) As I drove off, I opened the package of the mini almond joys and took my first bite. "Pure bliss"! YUMMY!!!! I did manage to grab Justin a few snack size snicker's and I am making him a "completely homemade dinner". Which will be ready for him when he gets home from work.

Because of this new love, I have decided to make Wednesday's "Must try day". I will post one of my favorite edible items from the day/week and hopefully you will post your favorite too!

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Mommy!

This week has been FULL of me finishing leftover course work from last semester and I am so happy to say that I am finished. All work has been turned in! Yippee!! I can now totally devote myself to life outside of school work! For the past few months I have felt like an elephant was always in the room and that elephant is now gone. See ya later homework :)
Back in February my parents had asked me what I wanted for my birthday and the response was "pictures of Elizabeth"!!! This past Tuesday I finally got those pictures taken of our little angel by the fabulous Blaire Perry. A dear friend Brandi Rushton, let us use her awesome furniture for the shoot and I was beyond thrilled. Justin and I are rather "traditional" and our "matchy, matchy" furniture just wouldn't do ha-ha! While Elizabeth wasn't so sure about all these pictures being taken, she was quite the trooper and lasted nearly the entire photoshoot without getting too fussy! I kept wanting to talk to Blaire about life, which might have cut into our photo taking time, but it ceases to amaze me how God brings amazing people into your life at the "perfect" time. Yesterday, I got on facebook only to see that Blaire had posted two of Elizabeth's pictures from the shoot and I was a GIDDY Momma! I absolutely adore Elizabeth and Blaire was able to capture her personality effortlessly! I was a huge fan of Blaire's work before, and now I believe I could be her biggest cheerleader!!! Now, it is important to point out that Blaire does not just do fabulous newborn shoots, SO, if you are in need of pictures for your upcoming wedding, engagement, graduating senior, growing kiddos or any other crazy photo ideas, she is your girl!

Today is a beautiful today! Go out and enjoy it!

Much Love!