Babies & Basements

Happy Monday, all! I hope it wasn't too awful for everyone, although the amount of snow haters on my social media tells me that a lot of you probably hated today. I however, loved today, and will do a separate blog post on our 1st of the year snow adventures. Today is for catch up on our last week! It was another eventful & busy week for the Wilson clan. 

We've been dealing with a mommy-attached teething baby...hello, tooth #4! Thank goodness for this awesome teething necklace I purchased from Jane.com.

I also volunteered to try out adding a new addition to our days at home. My cousin and his wife recently had a sweet baby girl, and they don't live far from us, so I told them I could try out watching her a couple days a week. The first day was a success, although Gavin wasn't sure what to think of mommy holding and feeding a baby that wasn't him. Christian however was a big helper! If everyday goes like the first (which, come on, it's 3 kiddos, it's not always going to be that easy) then I just might get my baby girl fix! ;)

On Wednesday, I had the sweetest cuddle session with Gavin...he got up extra early (boo!) and then fell back asleep in my arms (swoon!). I seriously wanted to freeze time, because moments like this are so rare and I know they are limited the older he gets.

My latest grocery trip involved buying the cutest pajamas for the boys...so obviously I had to try to take some photos. Gavin wasn't feeling it as much as Christian, but I did manage to catch a few good ones!

These gingers seriously make my day.

This past week Gavin started pulling up...on everything! He's still a bit clumsy and has several battle wounds from his adventures, but he's having fun exploring.

We had the messiest lunch date...avocados & blueberries.

Someone also figured out how to pull down the iPad (which we use as a baby monitor), so we've had to find a new place for that. 

*I've had a LOT of people ask me about this baby monitor. It's an app we downloaded to our phones & iPads. It cost us $9.99 and it's called Cloud Baby Monitor. I set up the iPad in Gavin's room and use it as the child unit and then use my phone as the parent unit. It can be used over Wi-fi or unlimited range. I can even spy on him sleeping from my phone while we're out for a date night. My only complaint is that it uses the iPad's camera for video, so you can't see them if the room is pitch dark. There is a light you can turn on, but it's extremely bright, and if you have a light sleeper like my little one, it can wake them up. Other than that, it's a much better option than spending crazy amounts of money on a video monitor!*

Gavin pulling up now means the boys can fight over the same toys! Luckily, Christian is really good and patient with him, which really surprises me. I wasn't nearly as good as sharing growing up...or now, for that matter. #oldestchildproblems

This week, we finally got around to making our basement feel more homey. I really didn't like going down there because it just didn't feel as warm and cozy as my living room. So we put up some new decor, moved the boy's toys around a bit, hung up two new wall collages and replaced our old, stained, worn out couch.

Now, I'm in love and have spent every evening down there since! We still have to hang curtains and get an ottoman, but I'm loving this so much better! 

We also had our first snow on Thursday...we woke up to a good dusting and slick roads!

In preparation for my other bestie's baby shower, we went and had pedicures, and then I did my own nails when I got home. I love this color! OPI's Ate Berries In The Canaries. 

On Saturday, we celebrated Kayla and little miss Gemma. Another baby I can't wait to snuggle!

Yay, babies!

On Sunday, Christian helped me do chores around the house in order to earn money for his school. His school is doing a fundraiser for kids in Romania, and they learned all about helping those who basically have nothing. I was so proud to see how excited he was to collect his chore money...such a sweet heart this one has.

Today (after snow fun) we played in the basement & then had lots of fun with cousins. Christian bawled when they had to leave...cousins are always your first best friends, so I love seeing them play & have fun!

Sad. Happy. Zoned out. #babylife

Oh, Gavin...you and your teething adventures are making for some great photos! And we couldn't even bribe the other nephew with a cookie to get in the group photo, so this one will just have to do! 

 And that was our week! Tomorrow I will have 3 kiddos again...fingers crossed it goes as well as it did last week! And my broken Keurig has finally been replaced, so I can thankfully have caffeine in the morning again...yay, for some sanity again! Well, maybe.

Thanks for reading!

Happy 8 Months, Gavin Lee!

What a great way to start our month photos, right?! This was his, "I can't believe you just took my toy away and sat me down" face. Life is rough.

But really, this little boy has been quite an angel lately. He has really started playing with toys, crawling all over every inch of the house, exploring new things, pulling up on everrrrrything and essentially growing up way too fast.

About a week ago, he discovered how to go from crawling to sitting up, so other than actually using his knees to crawl, he can officially get anywhere he needs to go, stop and explore, and then he's off again. I seriously feel like he's never going to crawl properly, because he's so skilled at army crawling. He can get up on all fours, but the second he sees something he wants, he's off on his belly like a little fish. 

He is a babbling fool...he can say: mama, dada, gaga, baba, lala and nana. He is also a lover of making bubbles and when you use your hand to make funny noises with his mouth.

He has 3 teeth as of November 11th, and the 4th will be here any day. Can I just mention how excited I am to be nursing a wild 8 month old with four teeth (please note the sarcasm).

We won't get his height or weight until his 9 month check-up next month, but he is definitely getting fatter growing like a weed. He is in 9-12 month clothes and 12 month sleepers. He is still in size 3 diapers and finally has enough red hair for me to style just like his big bro's!

Not much has changed on the eating & sleeping schedule, except thanks to Daylight Savings Time ending, he gets up an hour or two earlier than he used to. He wakes up anywhere from 6-7:30, nurses, breakfast around 9, morning naptime 9:30-11, nurse, lunch around 12:30-1, nurse, naptime 2-4, nurse again (Fatty McFat, right?), dinner at 6, bath at 7, bedtime at 7:30. He sometimes wakes up around 4am and I'll nurse him. 

I'm not going to lie, I feel super proud of going 8 months with only breastmilk. I had to supplement with Christian and then stop nursing at 5 months old, so he was never exclusively breastfed. But I'm so much more comfortable with nursing this time around and not to mention, he's been an excellent nurser. Not that there is anything wrong with formula...Christian was on it for 7 months and he turned out pretty good...but I set a goal of 1 year no formula, and I don't see any reason why I can't meet that goal! Although he did go on a nursing strike a few weeks ago because we finally found a bottle he liked...and he ended up liking it too much (oops!), but we powered through the screaming fits and tantrums and now we're all good! I was so close to giving up, but Dustin and my other mom friends were amazing support and gave me plenty of encouragement. So thanks guys! ;)

He is also eating 1 pouch and 4 containers of baby food a day, plus any table food I throw his way. He's had bananas, pancakes in coconut oil, avocados (NOT a fan), sweet potatoes and blueberries.

Some of his favorite things are still the same...he loves teethers and his little stuffed animal, Ellie. In fact, he won't sleep without it...I had it in the laundry and thought he wouldn't really care...nope! He cried and cried and refused to nap until I realized it's because he wanted to cover his face with that darn Ellie.

He still has a huge temper...don't believe me?? Just try taking away something he has in his hands or not feeding him fast enough...you'll believe me then! He is also turning into a mega mommy's boy. He doesn't like for anyone else to hold him if I am in sight. But that means he has also started cuddling with me...hallelujah! 

He is obsessed with being sung to...if he's ever upset, I'll break out a tune and he instantly calms down. Christian was never like that, so it's really awesome to see him start to develop a unique personality. Mommyhood with a 3-year-old and super mobile baby that has to be watched every second of the day definitely isn't an easy task, but I'm loving every minute. The fact that he's only 4 months away from his 1st birthday literally blows my mind. If you think it goes fast with the first baby, multiply it by 100 for the second.

We love you baby G! What a blessing you have been to our family!

November is for Baby Showers!

This past week was spent gearing up for one of my best friend's baby showers. I was so excited to be able to throw her one, because not only do we get to celebrate a sweet little life being brought into the world, but I LOVE throwing a party! Planning and crafting is one of my favorite things to do, so I'll take any excuse.

Since my week was spent working on that, I definitely slacked on my blog...so here is a quick recap of our first week+some days of November (the busiest month of the year for us, btw).

Well for starters...just in case anyone has missed it or doubted the color of Gavin's hair...it's RED. No denying that this kid is full on ginger. I've always had a love for red hair, so it cracks me up that I have not only one, but two red-headed boys! 

We started November off with a date night...and of course I would pull a paci out of my coat pocket during dinner. #parentlife

This date night (like ALL date nights) consisted of Hibachi & a movie. 

We saw Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, and we still aren't sure what to make of it. I think I liked it?? It wasn't what I expected...kind of weird...way too many car accident scenes for my taste (having a brother pass away in a car accident pretty much scars you for life from that)...but it was weird enough that it held my interest. So yeah...that's not a very good movie review...but like I said, I'm still unsure myself! ;)

Over the weekend, Christian also caught a wicked cold and cough that he so thoughtfully passed onto to me and Gavin. Sharing is caring, right?

We finished that weekend out with chubby baby snuggles...

A trip to Sam's Club (where Gavin lasted in the cart a whole 4 minutes and 15 seconds)...

Fighting over who gets to snuggle momma (Oh darn)...

Super-Christian helping with baths, and eating reading books in matching pj's. Aside from Christian catching a cold, it was a pretty successful weekend!

Then the week consisted of...

Baby shower planning and Gavin plotting what to grab first...

Painting the easel white & blue to match the playroom...

Gavin learning to drive (in park. Waiting for big bro to get out of school. No worries.) and feeling quite unsure about it...

Cute new pants from Jane.com...

Baby snuggles because Christian shared his germs...

Christian bringing Gavin to me along with the statement, "Here mom. Here's your baby. I sink he needs your boobies." Oh the things my toddler says!

Fat baby legs... #nomnom

Gavin pulling himself up for the first time ever...and instantly regretting that decision.

A pesky little brother...

Saturday morning snuggles with daddy...

Pancakes cooked in coconut oil and bananas...his favorite ever...

And a girl's night consisting of lots of baby belly rubs.

SO now that I have the week recapped, that brings us to the baby shower fun! I met Jennifer years ago because our husbands are cousins. We also just happened to move next door to each other in 2007 and then I started working for her at her salon cleaning tanning beds, doing make-up and becoming her organizing assistant. ;) She quickly became one of my very best friends. She was one of the maids of honor in my wedding, and I was one in hers as well. I'm so excited for her to begin this new chapter in life as a mommy. She is having a boy and in case it's not obvious in the photos, naming him Cash.

One of my favorite things was the popcorn bar. Everyone made their own kind of popcorn as their party favor...but really, we all just sat around and ate popcorn as Jennifer opened her baby gifts. ;)

I feel SO blessed to have these ladies in my life (some are missing from the photo...I love you all, too, haha). I was going through a very rough time in my life before they came in, and I seriously cannot thank God enough for bringing them around. We are so lucky to have each other through all of life's surprises and journeys. I can't wait for the two new additions to our group and to give those babies lots of snuggles...I have to get my tiny newborn baby fix from somewhere, because apparently I have an 8 month old!

Happy Monday all & thanks for reading!

Halloween 2014

Wow, I meant to post this over the weekend, but then one sick kid, one teething baby, two sick parents and planning for a baby shower happened...better late than never, right?!

Our Halloween started out with us making treats to take to Christian's class party. We made funfetti cake batter popcorn (which I didn't care for, but I'm not a white chocolate fan) to pass out to all of his friends. Isn't my helper so cute?

Then I helped out in his classroom and we did some cute Halloween games with the kids. They got to go trick-or-treating next door to the school...there's my cute little mouse in the back. 

And as requested from the toddler, I dressed up as a cat for Halloween.

 After school, it was naps and then time for costumes!

First of all let me just say, I was the most excited ever about this year's Halloween costumes. I've been planning them for awhile and didn't tell anyone what we were doing. I couldn't wait to see the faces of people handing out candy...however, mother nature had other plans in mind! It was seriously bitter cold, wet, rainy and snowing...yes, snow. Welcome to the Ohio Valley, where the weather is as unpredictable as an episode of Game of Thrones (if you haven't read the books, of course...).

I knew it was going to be arctic cold though, so I put the boys in their sleepers, then another layer on top of that...and then their costumes. When I took their clothes off at the end of the night, their legs were still nice & toasty, so I know my ridiculous layering worked. ;) ANYWHO, on to the important part...what were they?!? Oh, only the 2 best characters from the greatest movie ever...and I do have to say, if you disagree with me there, we might not make it as friends!

Yep, that's right...FORREST GUMP AND LIEUTENANT DAN. I mean, can you feel my excitement from the computer? I loved these costumes! I saw a similar idea on Pinterest years ago and immediately thought to myself, "If I ever have 2 boys, I am SO doing this." And it's funny, as soon as I found out that Gavin was a boy, I immediately thought about their first Halloween and these costumes.

Aside from the hat, which I ordered online, I was able to pull everything from their closets. Talk about a cheap costume!

We took the boys to my mom's house first, then Dustin's parents, my grandparents and then off to our friend's house to trick-or-treat with all the kiddos. Although, between us all chasing after multiple children and freezing our butts off, we totally sucked and didn't get a group shot of the kiddos. Fail.

We managed to trick-or-treat for about 20 minutes before we couldn't feel our hands anymore and headed back inside. I was super bummed that the awesome costumes didn't get used to their full potential, but Christian had fun, we got way too much candy and the parents all loved it...so it wasn't a total loss. ;)

 (The only picture I took of them trick-or-treating...fail again)

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! I can't believe it's over...but I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of ready to pack away Jack movie until next year...it kind of loses it's awesomeness after 3 weeks straight every.single.day.

Oh, and I'll leave with you some AWESOME pictures from the Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. This was seriously one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Over 5,000 pumpkins lit through the woods...just amazing. Aside from the grinch of the family (do you even have to ask? Of course I mean Gavin), we all loved it.

It's been great Halloween, but now it's time for another awesome holiday...THANKSGIVING...aka...mashed potatoes and gravy day. 

Thanks for reading!