Jones- 9 Months Old!

Our baby is 9 months old!  Jones, I believe, is just not going to crawl, (in the conventional sense, anyway).  He can scoot, dive, roll, and pull his way around to get where he wants to go, but as for moving legs and arms in tandem while on all fours, it's not happening!  His unorthodox methods sure are cute and entertaining though.

What?  I may not crawl, but I strike a cute pose...

This past month we celebrated his first Halloween, where he dressed as a chicken and attended a fun Halloween party with plenty of other adorably-garbed baby friends.

Party fowl--a chicken, a penguin, and a duck

Ready to "trick or treat"

Jones is still a super laid-back baby and goes with the flow on most occasions, but he's getting more opinionated when it comes to certain things.  He has gotten very independent when it comes to feeding/eating, so I must give him his own spoon to hold while I feed him or else he'll grab the one I'm using before it can get to his mouth.  Because of this, I try to feed him mostly foods that he can pick up himself!  I am still making some of his baby food--organic applesauce, mashed sweet potatoes/banana--but mostly, he's eating what we eat.  He still loves peas and pretty much all fruits, but chicken (and soy "chicken") are his favorite things--behind Trader Joe's Organic Animal Crackers!

Notice dog, Peach, lurking beneath the high chair...the only reason my kitchen floor is ever "clean."

We're still working on waving, he can do it and will on occasion, but not consistently yet.  He claps all the time--unprompted, to get our attention, or when he's excited.  His smile melts my heart, and he smiles all the time...he has a sweet dimple and adorable teeth!  The top 4 teeth are all in the process of coming in and he has 3 teeth on the bottom.

SC State Fair-wonderment at its best

His favorite toys are anything that he can shake or bang together to make noise--blocks, rattles, balls, anything.  He also loves to grab the entire box/bin/basket of toys that are nearby and dump it--and then play with the box.  Looks to be a cheap Christmas around our parts--Jones will be content with cardboard boxes :)

Jones channeling his old man persona--the boy loves a hat (and so does momma)

Our sweet boy is growing so fast--pulling up on furniture and wanting to stand (with our assistance) all the time!  He is babbling constantly now, and though he hasn't said it directly to him yet, he says "DaDa" pretty often.

And, just to embarrass him someday, I leave you with this picture of his "rooster hair" that he woke up with one day this week.

Look closely--there's a nice spike at the crown :)

Share

Weekend Round-Up

Here's the plan for our weekend:

image via here

All-Local Farmer's Market--it's been too long since I've been and now that Jones is trying new foods, I can't wait to find some cool local produce to make into baby food for him!

Abby and Peach

Dog wash fundraiser at Earth Fare.  It's only $7 per dog and all proceeds will go to helping find retired racing Greyhounds new homes.  Abby and Peach will be in attendance; (they just don't know it yet).  The shampoos used to bathe the dogs will be organic (naturally), and all dogs get a goodie bag to take home.  11 am- 3 pm.

Possibly a trip to Buy Buy Baby...I have a coupon burning a hole in my pocket, plus Jones really does need a few things:

image via here

We need a couple new sleep sacks--love the Aden + Anais ones.  Jones is almost too long for the ones we have now.

image via here

 

image via here

I need some additional freezer food storage for the baby food I'm making.

image via here

image via here

Now that the babe likes his baths, (hallelujah!), we need some fun bath toys for him to play with...Boon toys are the cutest and they're BpA, PVC and Phthalate-free.

Father's Day lunch on Sunday with my Dad by the pool--homemade hamburgers.  Father's Day dinner with my husband's family.  Jones has a couple cute first Father's Day gifts up his sleeve for James :)

Another cool thing going on this weekend--the SC State Farmer's Market is giving away FREE BLT's to the first 1,000 through the gates on Saturday morning!  You can sign up to get a weekly text from the market letting you know what will be going on each Saturday by texting HARVEST to 313131.

Happy weekend, loves!  What are you up to?

B

Share

Handmade Baby Stuff

As much as I wish I were a talented sewer and knitter, and that these arts came easily for me, alas that is simply not the case.  But that does not stop me from trying anyway!  With help from more talented friends and family, I have managed to produce a few items for the baby that are quite cute, if I do say so myself.

The hand-knitted baby blanket that I have been working on for a few months, (I am a very slow knitter!), is mere days away from being complete--pictures soon!  And the items below I just finished working on with my mom last weekend.  (My mother is an insanely talented sewer and crafter--she made so many of my and my sister's clothes when we were children.  I am trying my best to learn from her so I can do the same).

Here is the baby bib that we made from some vintage fabric that I thrifted years ago:

And here is the baby gown that I made from one of James' old t-shirts.  Pattern found here.

The gown was a little more difficult than the bib--mom helped a lot.  But, I'm a novice, so for anyone who has some sewing skills, the gown would be a breeze.  The pattern calls for using elastic at the bottom, but my sister (who has 2 babies) suggested a drawstring, as elastic is too easy for the baby to poke his tiny legs out of.  With a drawstring, (we used satin brown ribbon), you can tie his legs up in the gown!

Mom and I have 2 more gowns we're going to make this weekend from James' "I'm a Keeper" t-shirt and his "I Pass on Grass" t-shirt :)

And, just because I love this picture...here are my babies gazing out our front door at the snow a couple weeks ago.  Peach and Abby definitely know that Jones is on the way soon and they are not sure how they feel about it...we're trying to give them lots of love and attention now.  I honestly think they'll be fine and grow to love the baby, but we'll see.  (Only 3 weeks left until my due date!)

I'm planning to go to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse this weekend to take advantage of their Restaurant Week special menu and I have another baby shower tomorrow-fun!  What are your weekend plans?

XO, Becca

Share

My First Babies

Just because this has been a REALLY long and stressful week at work...

here are some pictures of my "first babies":

Abby, Bernice, (pronounced like "furnace" with a B), and Peach curled up together on our bed.  

 

 

My girls

My first baby- Peach.  He is almost 9 years old, but still acts 9 months old most days.  It's so sad to see the gray coming in around his muzzle...

Peach loves to lie his head on my baby belly these days, and I swear Jones kicks more when he does it.  I think they're going to be the best of friends.  Bernice may be another story; she's a very independent cat and does not take kindly to strangers--I don't think she'll do anything to the baby, she'll probably just run away for a few weeks in protest.

Any advice on acclimating fur babies to a new baby in the house?

Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!
XO

Share

Thanksgiving Week Excitement

The week has already been busy--here's what has been going on with me:

Yesterday was my and James' 2nd wedding anniversary.  Two years has flown by--and it has been so fun.  I had to teach last night, so when I got home James had Village Idiot pizza waiting (yum-the Hurricane pizza is to die for)*, as well as a dozen red roses and a necklace he picked out from an antique store all on his own.

(He knows me well--I do love a vintage piece!)  He is amazing and thoughtful.  We're going out to dinner Friday night to really celebrate and he says I have another gift coming that night...I am a lucky girl.

This morning I went to the Doctor for my 28 week pre-natal check up.  I had to do the gestational diabetes test, and I passed with flying colors.  Blood pressure is good, fetal heart rate is normal, and all is well with me and Jones.  I am measuring a week ahead of schedule, so he will probably make his appearance well before the February 14th due date.

Over the weekend I made James get the Christmas decorations down from the attic and attempted to start decorating--he talked me into waiting until the day after Thanksgiving for most things though.

And I also attempted to make bread from my starter for the very first time.  The results were less than stellar.  The dough came together well, rose well the first time around, but then I just couldn't get it to rise as much as it should have the second time around, so it ended up very flat, hard and heavy after baking.  I am going to try again tomorrow afternoon.

Looks good here, but wait...

A bread brick.

I am working on the knitted baby blanket--see my progress below.  It's going to take me while, but so far, so good.

I am also going to attempt to make a Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart with a Pretzel Crust tomorrow to take to Thanksgiving at my grandmother's house--I'll let you know how that goes.

Happy Thanksgiving Week, everyone!  If you're in Columbia and looking to shop this weekend, keep your local retailers in mind and support Small Business Saturday!

And, just because-- pictures of some of my favorite boys: my nephews, Ben and Taylor, and James and our dingo, Peach.

XO, Becca

*Village Idiot on Forest Drive has an amazing Monday deal where you can buy any size/topping pizza and get one FREE of equal or lesser value!

Share

My New Friend, Holga

My sweet husband bought me a "baby mama" gift when I found out I was pregnant back in May--a Holga camera.  I had been wanting a camera that would take old-looking photos, and I love a black and white photo, so this is right up my alley.

image via here

Now, I am no expert in photography to say the least--only 4 pictures from my first roll of film even turned out--(the others were taken inside with not enough light and no flash, so they were totally black).  Here are the ones that did turn out--I have some work for sure, but I really love the one of Peach lying in the grass... it looks old and Peach looks so peaceful.

The kind shopkeeper at our local camera shop, The F-Stop, (after seeing my issues with the first roll of film), lent James a flash to try with the Holga for our second go-round with pictures, so hopefully the next roll of film will turn out better. 

I'm hoping to get some good photos of the dogs to frame and put in the baby's room.  Aren't black and white/old photos the best?  They just have such an artistic feel.

Happy Monday!

Share

It's Be Kind to Animals Week

May 2-8 is American Humane's Be Kind to Animals Week.

Here's just a few things we all can do to be kind to animals:

Speak out for animals

Get informed about policies and legislation that can impact the animals in your community and throughout the country. Also, register to receive Action Alerts from American Humane -- you’ll be able to speak out for animals with just the click of a mouse. You know I'm a fan of being knowledgeable about policy--just do it.

Report animal abuse

Animal cruelty and abuse is not only tragic for animals, but also an indicator that other forms of abuse such as domestic violence could be happening. If you see something that looks suspicious -- a dog chained in your neighbor’s yard that looks underfed, a child putting a cat in a box and kicking it around the yard -- don’t hesitate. Let someone know. I have called City Animal Control several times and they are usually very willing to help investigate; advocate for a dog or cat that cannot speak for itself.

Adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue

Every year, an estimated 3.7 million animals must be euthanized at our nation’s shelters because they could not be adopted into loving homes. Help animals find a second chance at happiness by adopting your next pet from your local shelter or rescue group. American Humane has tips to find the animal companion that’s right for you and develop a bond that will last a lifetime.

My shelter babies- Abby, Peach, Fat Albert & cat Bernice (not pictured)

I LOVE my shelter babies--all adopted from our local shelter, The Animal Mission, and they are the greatest!

image via here

And, go buy the new Stamps to the Rescue postage stamps--available in your local post office or on-line. With these 10 stamp designs, the U.S. Postal Service hopes to raise awareness of the need to adopt shelter pets; all pets photographed had been homeless at one time. I just bought some stamps at the Greene Street PO--they are precious!

Share

A Word for Wednesday

ncorrigible: bad beyond correction or reform; impervious to punishment; not easily changed

Many of the words I have highlighted during this A Word for Wednesday series have been words that I liked, but seldom or never used...(and in many cases, still don't, but I'm trying!). However, today's word is a word I use often; most often when speaking to or about my 8-year-old mutt, Peach.


Peach is a rescue dog, discovered as a puppy at The Animal Mission. His "story" was that he had been found locked on the front porch of an abandoned house. They told us that he was a mix between yellow lab and German shepherd, but over the years I have become more and more convinced that Peach is a dingo. (And yes, he is a boy named Peach--named for Ty Cobb, "The Georgia Peach"). Peach also loves to swim and is an avid barker, and the best and most unique thing about him is that he smiles. For real, when you walk in the door and he is excited to see you, his lips pull up and you can see his teeth and he actually smiles. So sweet.


However, Peach has a sense of entitlement when it comes to our furniture, and a simple "no, Peach," or "off" does not usually dissuade him from trying and trying again to climb on the couch with you. This is when I usually break down, let him on the sofa, and say aloud "Peach, you are incorrigible."

Peach, (middle), on the sofa with Abby, (left), and Fat Albert, (right)

But so cute, don't you think?

Definition via dictionary.com
Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.

Share

A Word for Wednesday

ynchrony: simultaneous occurrence; synchronism

Last night, while sitting on my couch watching Love Actually--my favorite contemporary holiday movie--I stated to my husband: "Listen to Peach [our dog] snoring...that's what I hear every night, except in bed it's you and him in synchrony." As soon as it was out of my mouth, both my husband and my friend, Rebecca, questioned the existence of the word. I assured them it was correct as I reached for the laptop to prove it by looking it up on dictionary.com.

I was right.

James and Peach snoring in synchrony

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische

Share