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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

#instaford

Some of my recent favorite iPhone pics of my little dude

Wearing a 6 month outfit... that was a little snug!

Love walks with my rosy cheeked boy

Very interested in watching the "big kids" at the park

Babies don't keep... so somedays I don't mind if the only place he'll nap is on me





Not too sure about the Bumbo


Waiting on mommy to get a flu shot at Randall's... cereal boxes are so funny!


This is why we don't co-sleep... morning cuddles turn into face punches

Chillin with papa and uncle James

Baby rolls for days



My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

Wearing jeans for a night out

So we've figured out sometimes when he's fussy just to strip him down to his diaper and he's a happy boy!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Halloween Hootenanny

The 2nd annual Hart's Halloween Hootenanny was a success! This year was a tad different than last year's late night, loud music, baby-less shin dig but it was just as fun! We decided to take advantage of our beautiful new deck and cooler Texas temps and grill out for our neighbors and friends. This being Ford's first Halloween (and holiday in general), we really thought long and hard about our costumes. I was a fountain of ideas but Jon wanted our costumes to be perfect. And this is what we decided on...



A family of garden gnomes. We made our own costumes...felt, fake fur, a couple of T shirts from Hobby Lobby, and a trusty glue gun...they were a hit! We knew Ernie wouldn't be about having a fake beard or hat on so we recycled his shark costume :)

Let's face it, once babies enter the equation, it is all about them! Ford had lots of friends come to his party and the baby picture is about the cutest thing I've ever seen.




Ford and I are heading to Dallas today with Mimi for some fun cousin lovin'! Happy Halloween week!

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Hope Spoken



The countdown is now 5 months until I head northbound to Dallas for the HopeSpoken Conference! Unlike The Influence Conference, baby Ford will be having a guys weekend with dad while I spend 2 nights with some fun mamas (Heather, Heather & Katie) and witness the Lord move mountains in our hearts. Today I am linking up with Casey to meet other gals heading to the conference. Although tickets are soldout, they will be adding more soon...stay tuned. 

So here we go...

5 things for HopeSpoken:
-post your picture
-introduce yourself
-something that you are a little timid or nervous about for the weekend
-something you are hoping to take away from HopeSpoken
-share something fun/random about yourself

This is me & my husband Jon. Now that we have a baby, a picture of the 2 of us is hard to come by. We live in the greatest city in the world... Austin, TX... and I stay home with our 2 month old chunky munchkin Ford. Taking long walks outside, burning my fingers with my gluegun, and covering my phone with flour attempting a new Pinterest recipe in the kitchen are a few of my favorite things.


Life doesn't get much sweeter than spending everyday with this one!



I can't say that I am really nervous about HopeSpoken but more anxious and excited to meet women I've nurtured relationships with on the internet for months or even years, and to be filled up with grace, encouragement, and power through the Holy Spirit. I was incredibly nervous before the Influence Conference and worried that I wouldn't "fit in" but those fears were lifted as I was welcomed into the wonderful community of Christian women this little pocket of the internet holds. If you are timid about not fitting in at the conference, I assure you those worries will be crushed! I pray to leave the conference ready to be bold in my faith. I know God has big plans for my little life, especially now that I have experience as a mother and my prayer is that I listen to His direction. 

Something random about me.... let's see. I'm barely 5 feet tall and swear I continue to shrink over the years (thanks to breaking my back 10 years ago). I may be 4 and a half feet come March so don't overlook me!

Are you going to HopeSpoken?

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes

Jon and I are all about pumpkin and I could eat pancakes every morning if I had the time. We've made these yummy pumpkin pancakes 3 times now and can't get enough!! Jon prefers honey over syrup and I have to say it's pretty darn good! This recipe made about 15 silver dollar pancakes for us...perfect to warm up for a quick breakfast on a cold fall day.

Ingredients
1.5 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 cups white flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
1/2 tsp salt
Semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips together to make a thick batter
2. Pour silver dollar sized pancakes in a greased pan over medium heat
3. Sprinkle with chocolate chips before flipping
4. Enjoy!


Monday, October 21, 2013

My little pumpkin



I've been a little stressed that October is almost over and we hadn't visited a pumpkin patch yet! We've had plans to the past couple of weeks but stuff has come up and I was worried we wouldn't get a family pumpkin pic (pictures are what matters right?!). Yesterday our neighborhood had a small pumpkin patch at a park and we ran up there for some quick pictures. Ford was a little bobble-head like but I managed to snap a few and we got a family pic...Ford was pretending to be a Zombie :). 



Halloween will be our first holiday with Ford and it's already been so much more fun than previous years. Even though Ford won't recognize or remember, it's been fun to decorate, take pictures, and plan his costume. We are having our Halloween party on Saturday and I can't wait to unveil our costumes! Next week Ford and I are going up to Dallas with Mimi to spend time with Cori and Embry and we are going to visit the famous Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum... I cannot wait!!!!!!!!

Last night my dad and brother came over for dinner and Ford was chatting it up with his papa...
(we checked his diaper for poo and didn't snap him back up haha)



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PSSSSSSSST... Don't forget to enter the 16G tablet giveaway from Citi in my post about conquering lateness as a new mama!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Flying (& traveling) with a baby

Ford was exactly 6.5 weeks old when we took him on his first plane ride to Indianapolis, tagging along with mama to the Influence Conference. Part of me thought we were absolutely nuts for traveling with him so young but then again it seemed like a great time to travel with him when he is still small, cuddling, and will sleep anywhere. I was anxious the days leading up to our trip and dreading the fact that we didn't have a direct flight but honestly, the flights were the easiest part of our trip! Thankfully my sister has flown with Embry quite a few times and gave me some tips and I wanted to share my thoughts on making a flight with a newborn/baby successful.

  • Bring a carrier! We brought the ergo and because it's hands free, it was awesome. Ford was due for a nap right before our first flight so I popped him in there and he fell asleep instantly. Unfortunately you have to take baby out of all carriers, car seats, and strollers to go through security and for take off/landing but he made a great transition.

  • Bring a copy or phone photo of baby's birth certificate to verify that they are under the age of 2, unless you bought them their own seat. We weren't asked for proof on the way to Indy but had to show it on the way back. 
  • Bring your stroller and carseat to gatecheck. Children under 2 grant you the permission to gatecheck items for free (we flew Southwest so bags fly free anyway). We were able to stroll around the airport with our stroller and carseat and take it directly to your gate. We checked in with the flight attendents before the flight to get tags.
  • Ask if the flight is full. If there are empty seats, you can take your carseat actually on the plane. We were able to do this 3 of the 4 flights we took and it was PERFECT! Our 2nd flight to get to Indy was late and we were able to put Ford in his jammies and to bed in his carseat. He slept through the whole flight and ride to the hotel.
  • Preboard and sit in the back. It is louder in the back so if your baby screams, it is muffled by the plane sounds. You are also closer to the bathrooms.
  • Pack extra diapers. If you think your baby will go through 5 diapers, bring 10! You never know if your bags will get stuck or if the altitude will cause extra poops. Be prepared to change diapers in the tiniest of bathrooms too.
  • Pack 2-3 extra outfits. A friend of mine packed 2 backup outfits that her sweet baby pooped through and she had to wrap her in a sweater for the rest of the flight. We did end up having 1 blowout on the way there and I was prepared with 4 extra sets. 
Ford was really interested in the couple across from us haha


  • Pack warm clothes for baby. Remember airplanes are cold, pack socks, footies, or extra blankets to keep them warm.
  • For nursing moms, pack a travel nursing pillow. I have a cheap pillow I got for "free" from here that I keep in the car and decided to bring along with us. This was INCREDIBLY helpful for nursing and also just laying Ford on my lap. 
  • Nurse, nurse, nurse. We nursed on take off and landings and in between. Ford was going through a growth spurt that weekend so he didn't mind it at all. The suckling helps baby's ears from getting clogged and nursing helps pacify an upset baby.
  • Bring pacis. Ford doesn't take a paci on his own but if you hold it in his mouth he will kind of knaw/suck on it and if baby doesn't want to nurse during takeoff/landing, the paci will help their ears. 
  • We did not bring a pack and play and assumed Ford would sleep in the crib provided by the hotel. Well... those things aren't made for short people. I couldn't reach inside the crib because the rails were too tall. And the crib sheets I brought didn't fit. Ford ended up sleeping in his stroller laid back or his carrier the whole weekend. Just keep this in mind if your baby requires certain sleeping conditions
  • Pack your sound machine. We have this one and it is the best thing ever invented. 
  • If you feel like you've packed enough, pack a little more. Although we were in a city where we could easily go buy diapers or clothes, I wanted to be stocked and prepared. I brought a sleeve of 75 Costco diapers and we used all about about 20. Pack extra jammies in case of blowouts (but hotel soap DOES get out poop stains!). I am glad I packed an array of outfits because we were expecting cold and it was actually pretty warm and nice.
Honestly it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Ford did great besides being extra needy during a "leap" but he was pretty adaptable. Ford is going on another flight in a few weeks so hoping for the best!



Monday, October 14, 2013

My birthday

Today is my birthday and I am feeling extra special and nostalgic. It was the night of my birthday last year that Jon and I decided to stop preventing pregnancy and less than a month later, we conceived our little Ford. In the past year I've not only added a year to my age, I've started to fill the role I know the Lord had planned for me my entire life, a mother. It's surreal thinking about life before Ford, or even life before he was in my belly and today I am feeling so blessed that we made that leap of faith to start our family. It was a lot sooner than we had originally planned but the Lord was encouraging us and we listened. 

This weekend was exactly what I wanted for my birthday...besides a handful of quick little outings, we snuggled at home, napped, lit pumpkin candles, and stayed in our jammies. Right now Ford and I are still in bed while daddy does some work and later today today we are leaving him for a mommy/daddy date. Motherhood is the best gift I could have ever received this week! 

My chubby boy

Happy mail day... sock monkey and baby leggings!

My 2 Baylor Bears

We also started cloth diapering this weekend and it's been really successful! Now let's see if I can get the wash routine down.

Off to enjoy birthday cuddles with my boys!

Friday, October 11, 2013

Ford 2 months

Today our big little man turns 2 months! Where has time gone? He is no longer a newborn but growing into a sweet little baby who has quite the big personality. I really can't remember life before him and love that each day brings something new. He is changing and learning new things everyday, we think he is pretty fun right now and can't imagine how fun he'll be over the next few months! 







Weight: 13lb 1oz, 80th percentile

Height: 23in, 50th percentile

Head: 42.1cm, 95th percentile

Doctor appointment: Ford had his 2 month checkup this morning and he did great! We love our pedi and she thought he was absolutely perfect. He got 3 shots and an oral vaccine and boy was that hard. They laid him on the table and I was right by his face... he started screaming and turned bright red almost instantly and that took me straight to tears. They were really fast and I scooped him up. His cry was very different than his other cries which made me sad but he was quickly soothed when I started nursing him. He fell asleep in the car and we have no plans today except for staying in bed and cuddling in case he gets a fever. We go back in 2 months for his 4 month checkup... and more shots :(. 

Nicknames: Mister, Mr Ford, Fordy, Silly Boy, Mr. Kick Kick, Bubba, puddin

Eating: like a champ. We have breastfeeding down pretty good and Ford is a great eater. During the day he eats anywhere between 2.5-4 hours. We experienced a 6 week growth spurt and he wanted to eat every 2 hours so we are now trying to stretch that back out. He's become a lot more efficient in emptying my breast and feeding now takes about 30 minutes rather than 45-1 hour. We had our first projectile vomit incident last weekend and it was scary but he didn't seem to care one bit. No fever/fussiness and he was fine after.

Sleeping: we are trying to get on more of a routine with Ford at night but we aren't on a schedule by any means. We try to put him down between 830-930p depending on what's going on and he will usually do a 6-8 hour stretch, quick feed, then a 3-4 hour stretch. We've even had a couple of nights in the past week where he hasn't woken up to feed in the middle of the night and slept 8-9 hours straight. Hoping that becomes consistent! He still sleeps in our room and we are transitioning from the Rock and Play to the bassinet so he'll be ready for his crib soon. He is still terrible at naps during the day. He will cat nap in the morning a few times and then totally crash in the late afternoon for 2 hours or so. When we are home during the day, we try to implement a nap by swaddling him, putting him in his cradle and turning on the sound machine. He will cry out a few times and end up falling asleep. If we are out, he sleeps in his carseat or the ergo. 2-3 month olds need to sleep 15 hours total and I think Ford probably sleeps about 12-13. We're workin on it!

Diapers: Ford is wearing Kirkland brand (from Costco) size 1-2 diapers. We found that they are smaller than Pamper's size 1 which is funny but they are working great for us. We also have some Pamper's but Huggies continuously leak so we steer clear of those. We are finishing up the last of the disposables we have and plan to start cloth in the next few days.

Clothing: I wish baby clothing sizes were consistent across brands! Ford is in 0-3m jammies and onesies but for "outfits", he is in 3-6 months and some 6 month. He has a lot of Polo that I planned on him wearing throughout the fall but he is already in their 6 month sizes. 

Social: Mr. Personality! He has blossomed so much this past month. We noticed social smiles around 4-5 weeks and now he is so reactive to faces and sounds, he is a smile machine in the morning. He is also very chatty...coos and shrieks, it is the cutest thing! He can recognize when we are in front of him and makes great eye contact. We are trying to have short conversations with him after reading an article that said he will try to mock us and talk back which he does! He is very active, hence his nickname Mr. Kick Kick. He loves kicking in the bath and also on his playmat, he is constantly in motion. He also has started batting at things with his hands under his playmat. Oh and he will strain his head to watch TV!! I think he likes the color and movement but he totally watches. 

Likes: his singing kitty under his playmat, baths, baby massage after bath, being outside, going on walks, being "chounced" (swayed)

Dislikes: the hiccups, the late afternoon aka his witching hour, being put down for naps, getting too hot in the car

Mama: doing great! I am getting adequate sleep and no longer need to nap during the days. Ford definitely keeps me on my toes and I am realizing I have less time for me which is okay but an adjustment. Ford needs constant entertainment so I find myself coming back to a blog post 4-5 times before finishing it. He's so fun right now so I don't mind it! I am back down to my pre pregnancy weight but still carrying around extra flab around my belly. I went in for a 6 week postpartum appointment and my doctor cleared me for everything...exercise, sex, lifting heavy items. I've been walking about 20-30 minutes everyday and actually did my first workout this week. We bought this resistance band set before Ford was born knowing I wouldn't want to hit the gym too quickly and both Jon and I are getting great workouts at home! I highly recommend it. I can get a good weights workout in in 20 minutes while the little guy bounces around in his bouncer. Emotionally I am doing really well. Like I said, Ford can be a handful at times and my heart is definitely tested but I remind myself he is still so new and learning new things everyday can be scary. I think I only cried once in the past month out of pure frustration when Ford screamed the whole time on a 20 minute car ride. I am 100% healed from my mastitis and pray to God I don't get it again! Ford and I have been getting out of the house on a regular basis... Target, grocery store, playdates, bible study, community group, church. It's nice to feel like I have my head above water and be comfortable being out and about alone with him but I do love days where we stay at home all day. 

Daddy: I couldn't ask for a better partner and husband to parent with. Jon is so great with Ford whether he is a cooing, smiling boy or really upset and needing extra attention. Jon's been getting back to a normal travel schedule and is gone 1-2 nights a week and definitely misses our boy (and me I hope!). It makes the nights we do have together so much more special. Jon is excited that Ford's eyes continue to change color and look more and more like his (since Ford is basically my clone!).

What we're looking forward to: month 3 will bring lots of fun and new things for Ford! Jon is in a wedding next week which will be Ford's 2nd to attend and we are throwing a Halloween BBQ at the end of the month. We are going to take a trip up to Dallas to see Miss Embry and celebrate Ford's first holiday, Halloween! Ford will also take his 2nd plane ride to daddy's hometown of Cleveland. Jon' mom is getting married and Ford will get to meet lots of his family.

Random: Ford had some really bad baby acne last weekend and aquaphor cleared it right up! He also projectile vomited and spit up for the first time which was scary but hasn't happened again. He also had some bad cradle cap but we've been using Head and Shoulders and it cleared up really well!

Videos: I've been trying to take more videos of little man because pictures just don't capture all the cuteness! He is so much fun in the mornings, smiley and talking up a storm. I post most of them to YouTube and you can check them out here





And because we could all use a little more Ford in our lives...





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