No Monthday?

We celebrated today since there is no February 29th this year.  I have always wanted to meet someone born on February 29th though.

Anyway, Weston is 5(ish) months old today!  I can't believe we are working on 6 months already.  He celebrated by getting even closer to crawling.  He does this downward dog pose and then moves either forward or backward.  It is really cute to watch.  Then again, everything he does is cute, right?

I was able to catch it on video and will share when I get it uploaded.

He has changed so much over these past 5 months, it's unreal.  I can't wait to see what changes this month brings but time really can slow down a little.  I swear someone hit the fast-forward button the day he was born and forgot to hit play.

I'm hoping his sleeping "game" (see previous post) is over and was just a growth spurt but time will tell.  I weighed him today and he had a big jump of about a pound over the last few days and he also seems taller!

I updated his watch me grow page with his official monthday picture but here are a couple worthy of sharing as well.

Baby or ninja? 

The elephant is much more interesting these days

Such concentration!

As I talked about in one of my previous posts, I am doing the Couch to 5K Program right now.  Once again Mother Nature decided to mess with my schedule and I was unable to go today.  It was a strange day for the last day in February.  We had a tornado watch (have I mentioned I am terrified of tornadoes) and severe thunderstorms throughout the day.  It was warm but the storms put a damper on the nice temperatures.  Check out the sky as one of the storms was rolling in.

I took us being stuck in the house as a sign that I should do some cleaning (despite what my blog represents I do clean on occasion).  It feels good to have a clean place but it doesn't last very long.  As soon as Mike walks in the door, I feel like all of my hard work flies right out the window.  Oh well.

The plan for tomorrow is to get my C25K workout in, maybe do a little more cleaning, and of course, play with my little 5 month old that can't officially turn 5 months.

Dinner:
Barber Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Frozen
Baked Fennel w/ Parmesan
Slice of Whole Grain Bread

Dessert:
Oreo Pie

Weston's New Game

This is how it goes:
Sleep for 10 minutes
Scream for 45 minutes
Repeat

This goes on All. Night. Long.  I don't like this game.

Maybe this no pacifier thing is backfiring. 

Pictures

Whew, I needed a break after all that posting!

We had a beautiful day today and took advantage by going for a nice long walk.  I took the opportunity to take some pictures along the way.  This one is my favorite.

Looking at it from here, it just looks like an ordinary picture.  When i zoomed in to look at his eyes (I'm obsessed with his eyes), I noticed something more.

Don't see it yet? Here's a closer look.

That's me!  I think it's pretty cool that you can see me in his eyes.  I love it.

Apparently we are in for some severe storms tomorrow.  I am not looking forward to that.  I am terrified of tornadoes and I freak if there is even the slightest possibility of one. 

Besides my fear, it interferes with my running program.  I am currently doing the Couch to 5K Program where I run every other day.  For some reason, something always gets in the way and I have to wait an extra day.  Hopefully I can keep going.

And a third, oh my!

Well, technically it is a new day but I have not gone to bed yet so I will count this a three in one day.

Another short post but I think I have found a theme for Weston's 1st Birthday!  I know, I know...it is 7 months away but this is important business.

I have to clear it with Mike first, but I love it!  Here is my inspiration

 

http://blog.finestationery.com/2010/11/sock-monkey-birthday-party.html

Ahhhh!  I'm so excited! 

Oh and just in case you thought thinking about his birthday was a bit premature, take a look at his Hallowen costume that I just purchased for next year.

The costume is where I got the idea.  I guess he had better like Sock Monkeys!

Ok, now I am really done for the night.
Night!

I have a new obsession

Two posts in one day, what?!?
This one will be a quick one though.  I am now obsessed with this Pennypurses.com.  I really want to go nuts so it's a good thing we are on a budget.  If anyone wants to sign up though, feel free to enter my username I<32Save :P

I have been sitting here watching an item for the last hour!  I doubt I will get it but it is still fun trying with my 5 free bids from signing up.

Pacifier Woes

Though I thought I had plenty of time before the day came that we needed to wean from the pacifier, I now realize I have no choice.  Weston used to be such a good sleeper.  Lately, he has been waking almost every hour.  I am exhausted, he is exhausted.

At first, I thought it was just the dreaded 4 month wakeful or more teething.  I figured out though that it was neither of those things, instead it was that little piece of plastic that has been such a comfort for both Weston and me.

I realized that he was waking because the pacifier fell out and he didn't understand that he could just put it back in his mouth.  This prompted a screaming episode that required me to get out of bed and reinsert the pacifier for him, pat his back, and shush him until he went back to sleep...until it happened again within the hour.

So yesterday, I began the monumental task of weaning from the pacifier.  The naps went pretty well.  I put him down, patted his back, shushed him, and walked away.  I had to repeat the process a few times but he finally fell asleep and took nice long naps each time.

Putting him down for bed went extremely well but he does nurse right before he goes down so he is sort of half-way there anyway.  That is the only time he nurses before sleep but that's off-topic.
The problem happened around 1 am when he woke up wanting the pacifier. I was in and out of his room more times than I can count until I finally won the battle, or so I thought.  He was suddenly silent so I tip-toed into his room and peeked over the crib rail to find a peacefully sleeping baby...with a pacifier in his mouth.

I'm not sure how I missed it but I must have left one in his crib and he found it.  I was too worn out to remove it so I let him be until the next waking.

Once again, naps have been going well all day today and I made sure I removed all of the pacifiers from the crib this time.  Hopefully we will have a good night tonight.

In other news, I introduced Weston to his new bathtub this morning.  He thought it was the best things since sliced bread once he heard it quack!

Next we had some fun IN the tub.

And then we played a little with the camera.

I have been experimenting a bit in the kitchen lately.  I think Mike is getting a little spoiled with having a different dish almost every day!  Oh well, we'll see how long that lasts.  I did try Chocolate Banana Souffles that I'm not so sure he liked.  He said he did but I could tell it wasn't his favorite.  Part of that was the strong banana flavor and the other part was probably because it was a healthy version.  I thought it was ok but I'm not sure I will make it again.  I just had some bananas that needed to be used and found that recipe. (I will say I substituted Splenda for the sugar)

Well, it's time to go find a way to make pasta interesting.

Memories

For some reason, I have been obsessed with finding someone from my past.  This person was a very good friend of mine when I was younger.  We spent almost every single day together after school and were almost inseparable.  She was my best friend; until she moved away. 

I cannot for the life of me remember her last name though (some friend I am, huh?).  I have a horrible memory and have always had a hard time with details from my past.  This is bugging me so much right now though.  All I want to do is find her so I can reconnect with her.

Hopefully my mom was able to save an old yearbook or something from that time so that I can look her up.

Speaking of my past, I am so sad that one of my old schools closed.  It was the Catholic school that I attended for quite a few years (kindergarten to 6th grade I believe).  I had heard it was closing a few years ago but I found some articles about it during my search for my long-lost friend.

I can't believe how nostalgic I have become.  I found some pictures that someone posted on Facebook of the school and it brought back so many memories (parts that I can remember anyway).  Wow, I can't believe how much time has passed and how far I have come.

Blast from the Past

My old school ~

Photo Credit

And one of me ~

Another Day of Savings

We had a fun day today even though I am still trying to recover from this nasty cold.  After bathing Weston and getting myself ready, we headed out to our local Target.

At Target, we picked up the following:
10 Smart Ones
Jet Dry Rinse Agent
Jet Dry Dishwasher Detergent
2 Pairs of Women's Jeans
Wolfgang Puck Soup
Vaseline Lotion
2 Tubs of Whiskas Wet Food
2 Jars of Bertolli Pasta Sauce
Insulated Reusable Shopping Bag

All for $13.62!!!

Next stop was Harris Teeter for another day of Super Double Coupons.  We left with:
Pepto Bismol
Gain Dish Detergent
Wanchai Ferry Orange Chicken
2 Bags of Kraft Shredded Cheese
CoverGirl Eye Shadow

This total was $10.56
I love saving money. :)

That was our day today.  I had planned to run my 4th day of the Couch to 5K program but that didn't happen with my cold, time, and the nasty weather.  Tomorrow we are supposed to get snow so I'm not sure that I'll be able to do it then.  Hopefully I can fit it in before I have to start over.

I leave you with some pictures.

No more gummy smile. (

Playing with water

Playing

Shopping Trip and Hanging Outside

Can I say that I am addicted to coupons now and seeing how much I can save.  I love this website and watch it religiously, it's almost an obsession now.  I got this awesome product thanks to that website.  I was in desperate need of a new straightener and didn't want to spend a whole lot on it.  You can't beat $49.99 with free shipping (as an Amazon Prime member).  I used it today for the first time and love it!
Speaking of coupons, my new favorite supermarket is Harris Teeter.  I still love Wegman's but I have been to HT several times a week for the last few weeks.  I particularly like it when they have special events like Super Double Coupons, going on right now!  Over the last two shopping trips, I have saved over $120 and spent $80.  We have enough groceries to last us the next few weeks!  Weston enjoys his time in the store as well.  We tried him in the big kid cart but I'm not sure he is ready for it just yet.

After our shopping trip, we decided to take advantage of the spectacular weather today.  I took Weston over to the slides to try to get a few pictures but he wasn't really into them.

 

Next, we had some fun inside.

And then daddy joined us when he got home from work.

Happy Weekend!

I see green

I love the new series, One Born Every Minute, but sometimes it is really hard to watch.  Don't get me wrong, I have laughed at this show more times than I can count and I get chills every time a baby is born.  I have cried at some of the stories as well like when things didn't go quite as planned.  The hardest emotion though is the jealousy that I feel.
It makes me angry that I still have these feelings leftover from Weston's birth but I can't seem to control them.  The good news is that they don't consume me now like they once did.
My jealousy usually happens when someone has the birth that I always pictured, which is pretty much all of them.  I feel this ache in my heart for just a few minutes whenever I hear about, or in the case of this TV show, see, a vaginal birth.  Don't get me wrong, I would MUCH rather have a healthy baby than the experience but it still hurts some times.
I really hope that with my next child(ren), I get to experience that feeling.  It makes me sad that I carried him for all that time while he was growing and developing and I wasn't the first to see or feel him on the outside.  Instead, he was placed under a warmer with people he had never known before while I waited anxiously to see him.
The doctors and nurses did everything they could to give me a good experience but a c-section will never be the same as the natural birth I so desperately wanted.
For now, I'll push that ache aside and continue to watch the show while I dream about what the future may bring.

Adventures

We talked about taking Weston to the National Aquarium this weekend but at almost $10 per person (adults), we decided to hold off and go with a cheaper option.

We wanted to make sure that he would be interested in seeing stuff like that before shelling out the money so I had the bright idea to visit our local PETCO to see what his reaction would be like.  Upon arrival we realized that it was dog adoption day so they had all of the dogs around the store. 

Weston was fascinated.  He was staring at one dog for a while and the person with the dog told me she was really sweet and asked if I wanted to bring him closer.  He loved her.  He immediately reached out and touched her nose and she seemed to be equally enamored with him.  I wish we could get a dog right now, I would have signed up to adopt her right then and there.  We are waiting for a few reasons, I don't feel like getting into them right now but we are trying to be responsible.  I did love her though.

Back to the adventures at PETCO...Weston loved the fish tanks, especially the ones that had tons of brightly colored fish like this one.

Next, we went to the bird room.  He loved them.  The birds were pretty quiet for, well birds, but a few of them moved all over the place showing off for him.  This one was his favorite.

We tried to stop and see the ferrets but they were sleeping.  The big, white rat did catch his eye though.  We also stopped by the cats to visit with one lone cat.  Poor girl.  Weston is used to cats though because we have our very own feisty feline, Lizzie.

So there you have it; our free animal experience.  I think it turned out pretty good.  Plus, it showed us that he would, in fact, enjoy something like a trip to the aquarium. 

Now, in honor of tomorrow's festivities, a picture of my little valentine (or two).

That book was a gift from a very special someone (and no, not Mike)...she knows who she is. :)

I hope everyone has a good Valentine's Day and a good week.

It's official...

I am a housewife.  I never thought I would see the day when this would make me giddy.

Or this for that matter:

 

Nothing there to see you say?  Well, that's the point.  Those two items pictured, our ancient stove and kitchen sink, have been my nemeses since we moved in.  They were filthy looking.  Both were stained beyond repair...or so I thought.


I was thrilled tonight when I finally found a product that cleaned both of them and is the reason they are both looking shiny and new.  Wondering what that product might be?  Good, old fashioned Scotch Bright's scouring pads.  


Yay!!!












No industrial strength cleaning solution necessary here.  That should teach me a lesson...stick with what has been proven by all of the housewives of past.

Well, I feel a little silly getting excited over something so small and unimportant but I have tried everything and nothing worked.  Unfortunately, I do not have a before picture of either of them because I was not expecting this small miracle to occur on a random Saturday night.  Trust me, they were bad.

Ok, enough of the dramatic cleaning post.  I'm off to see what else I can scour clean.  :)

Happy Weekend!

Updates

First, I can't say I'm not disappointed with the outcome of the Super Bowl but you win some, you lose some.  Congrats to the Packers!

Next, I have now attended three, yes THREE, moms meetups.  Despite being terrified before each one, I have really enjoyed them and have put my RSVP in for 4 more.  We also signed Weston up for swimming classes starting in May.  I'm really excited about that one because we get to do it as a family.

Not much else has been going on here.  Weston seems to like the oatmeal.  He doesn't have much, maybe a tablespoon including the breast milk?  I'm excited to see him experience new foods but it does make me sad that I will not be providing his only source of food anymore.  Oh well, I'm sure there will be a lot of things I get sad about as he grows...you can never experience your first child again. ;)

Here is our attempt at a diy family picture:

Not horrible, but we'll have to work on those.  It is pretty difficult with a child that is not "into" sitting still for more than a few seconds.

Oh, and I finally got a picture of his two teeth!

You can see them better now so I will have to try to get another picture.

Finally, here are a couple of random pictures from the other day.  Isn't he a handsome little guy?

Solids

I gave in and started oatmeal.  I really wanted to do BLW and will probably still do that later on but I started getting mommy guilt about his nutrition.  I worry that I will cause him to become anemic because I am set in my ways.  Besides, who says we can't do both? I'm not sure if things really work that way but that will be our plan.  For now, we will do a little bit of oatmeal mixed with breast milk and at 6 months we will start implementing BLW. 

I will have a video of his first encounter with solids but have to wait for the camera battery to recharge so I can upload it!

Tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday and we are rooting for the Steelers here!

Follow Up

The meetup ended up being canceled because of the weather.   So, after having an anxiety filled night for no reason, I get to do it again tonight because it was rescheduled for tomorrow.  Some may ask why I go if I am so anxious.  Part of me is tempted to cancel.  However, I know I will regret it if I don't go.  Besides, what kind of an example would I be setting for my son if I become a hermit.  That is not the life I want for myself, but especially not for Weston.

Hopefully, getting up and out the door on time happens otherwise I may have a breakdown.  I despise being late for anything.  I don't care what it is.  I would rather not go than be late.

In other news, my dad had knee surgery the other day.  He was doing really well until they found that he has a blood clot in his leg.  He is being treated and monitored in the hospital right now so I'm trying not to be too worried about it.  He seems to be in good spirits.  He is a bit irritated that he has to stay in the hospital longer.  I keep telling him it is for the best but he is a busybody and is not one to sit around so I know it is driving him crazy.

The only reason he is doing what they are telling him to do and taking it easy is the threat of not being able to golf this spring! lol

Now for some Weston news...he got his first tooth yesterday and his second broke the surface today!  I found out bright and early yesterday about tooth number one when he bit me.  Poor little guy is pretty miserable though so hopefully he (and I) gets a break after these two.

Here are some pictures of my little guy as a reward for getting through my rambling (if anyone actually reads this).