Weaning

Welp, we're well into week 2 of Operation Wean, and so far, mostly good! I say mostly because it took him a few days, but he realized that he was getting a bottle more often and BAM decided that wasn't gonna fly. I didn't expect him to have any problems b/c he has gone from bottle to breast to bottle with absolutely no problem whatsoever since we gave him his first bottle. But to my surprise, at the end of last week, he threw fits (I'm talking red faced-screeching-arched back-pushing bottle away FITS) when it came time for his bottle of formula. One day it took me almost an hour to finally get him to take the bottle! Whew! Who knew it would be so much work? Apparently, my mom did. When the same thing happened that weekend, mom informed me that me and my sister did the same thing, and it was much easier to have someone else give us our bottles for a little while. So-I handed him to her and wished her good luck! :) This week, I've dropped 2 feedings, and while he still fusses and gags for a few minutes at the beginning, he usually just lets out a sigh of defeat and takes the bottle. I hate it for him, but I am not giving in. I stuck with this much longer than I ever anticipated, and I am ready to be done! I'll be honest, though, it is harder than I thought it would be. I'm taking it nice and slow, dropping one feeding per week, and I hope that by the time the last week comes and it's time to drop his morning feeding, we will both be good to go!

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5 Months!

Wait...5 MONTHS already?!? It can't be! My little monkey is changing so much! I was looking at some older pictures earlier today and couldn't believe how different Hampton looks. He looks like such a little boy!

Hampton is:

-rolling from belly to back like it's his job (and wanting so badly to make it all the way over, but his dang shoulder keeps getting in the way)

-a huge fan of his feet :)

-"army crawling"

-grabbing at anything you put in front if him

-going to bed earlier and (usually) sleeping longer (YaY!)

-laughing and smiling at everyone. He is such a happy baby!

-constantly trying to push up on his legs to stand. Practicing sitting usually turns into standing and jumping b/c he refuses to bend at the waist!

Happy 5 months, sweet boy!

Girl Scout Cookies are of the devil...McFatty Monday!

It's that time of year. Our house has been taken over by girl scout cookies. All purchased by my dear sweet husband--who I both love and want to beat with a stick for filling my house with Thin Mints and Tagalongs and Trefoils! And that's only the beginning...Dad's birthday was Friday, and a friend of the family made her famous caramel cake for him. To.Die.For. As if one cake wasn't enough, mom decided she was going to make a Mississippi Mudslide Cake. This is a new, delicious, chocolaty treat that I'm sure will be gracing our dessert plates again! I asked Taylor to cut me a small piece of caramel cake on Sunday afternoon, and he said, "Are you going to blog about this tomorrow? It's McFatty Monday." Ha! And yes, little brother, I am confessing to all the j.u.n.k. I stuffed my face with this weekend. My new "exercise routine" this week has been squats, heel raises, twists--basically anything I can come up with that is safe to do while toting around a 15 pound baby. It may not be the ideal workout, but it works!

I think that the monkey might be trying to cut a tooth. He had a low grade fever for a couple of days last week and has been especially fussy and drooly. I still can't see anything coming through, though. I guess we just wait and see, with cold chew rings on hand!

Our church's baby dedication was last night. As Baptists, we don't do a christening or a baptism, but we do dedicate the baby to God in front of the church and friends/family. Hampton had lots of family come to see him, including 2 sets of great-grandparents, both sets of grandparents, Uncle Andrew and Aunt Katie (Jordan's brother and wife), Uncle Taylor (my bro) and his girlfriend Dakota, and Aunt Ashley (my sis) and her boyfriend Adam. How loved this amazing little boy is!! It was a nice little service, and a great reminder of what a gift from the Lord babies are! Jordan read this verse, and I wanted to share it: "For with God, nothing shall be impossible." Luke 1:37. So true, so true. God is so good!

Just Playin'

Rolling Over!
(Ignore the irritatingly loud noise of my dog walking across the floor!)

Jumping!

Valentine's Day Fun

Since Monday was a holiday, Jordan and his brothers decided to go for a weekend ski trip. Many may say, "Wait, your husband left you alone on Valentine's Day??!!" It didn't really bother me. We don't really get into that holiday so much, and besides, I had my newest little love to spend the day with! His shirt says "I love mommy's kisses." It's true! Check out that sweet face:

Hampton had quite the exciting 1st Valentine's Day! We (mom, dad, Hampton, and myself)decided to take the day and visit my sister and her boyfriend in Charleston, SC. We ate brunch at The Hominy Grill (Yum. If you're ever in Charleston, go there!). We then went to the aquarium, and Hampton LOVED it! He was mesmerized by all the fish. It was great! I told Jordan that we had to take him to the GA Aquarium this summer. Can't wait!


After seeing all there was to see at the aquarium, we headed to A&A's house. They are only 2 blocks from the beach, so we took a little walk. And of course, I had to capture his first trip to see the ocean. Too bad it was freezing cold!



We had a great day, and my little monkey was so good! He started getting fussy about 30 minutes from home. I don't blame him, it had been quite a long day! We can't wait to head back to the beach with Jordan when the weather gets warm. Come on spring and summer!!

Let's Try This Again...(McFatty Monday)

So, my weight loss this week wasn't nearly as significant as last. I'm down a little over half a pound-still nothing to complain about! Here's the thing. If I had to be completely honest, I've been very, VERY slacking on my exercising. I wrote before about how I couldn't find the time, and I'm still in that place. I know it will get there, but right now, I choose going to bed, or staying in bed before popping in an exercise dvd. This has to change! I'm going to start weaning Hampton in the next few days. I know that with this comes the fact that I am not going to just lose weight sitting on my butt. Oh how I'll miss these days!

In less weight loss and more I have lost all my muscle news: I have done something terrible to my back. I'm 99% sure it has to do with lugging around that heavy carseat and ever growing little boy. The lifting in and out of the car is killing me. The muscle next to my right shoulder blade feels like someone is grabbing it and squeezing the life out of it all the time, and it often starts twitching out of nowhere. So annoying and painful. :( I'm going to have to talk to someone about exercises I can do to strengthen my back muscles because my little monkey is only going to get heavier. Yikes!

White Fluffy Stuff!

I have really enjoyed seeing pictures on facebook of all of my northern friends' babies/toddlers playing in the snow this year. I was living vicariously through them and wishing that I could get a picture of Hampton in the snow. But I knew better. We don't get snow here. Ever. Last year I believe we had flurries for maybe 15 minutes. Other than the occasional flurries, I'd say it's been 8 or so years since we actually saw the white stuff stick around for longer than a minute. Until yesterday! We got 5-6 inches yesterday afternoon, and it was perfect!! We bundled up, we played, we took pictures, we made a (VERY ugly) snowman, and then we snuggled up inside and watched a movie. When we woke up this morning, our winter wonderland was quickly vanishing. But I got a few pictures of my little monkey in the snow, and that's all I wanted!! Who knows when he'll get to see it again!