photo NavIG_zps7563fd85.png photo NavPin_zpsd777ef70.png photo NavYT_zpsbdfa2471.png photo NavBL_zps47aef9ce.png


Monday, February 29, 2016

Lucy 10 months

We are in double digits y'all. Someone hold me. I refuse to believe that my BABY is going to be 1 in 2 months. There is now way. She is too small and tiny and young. Gosh time sure does fly. This month has been fun and challenging...a crawling, curious lady who is quite the little drama mama. Somehow I managed to get pictures of her still but I took 120 to get the ones below. It's funny going through these pictures, she is such a little tongue girl. It is always out and moving around. I see these pictures and literally see myself as a baby staring back at me. We love this sassy little girl OH so much and can't believe how much she is growing and changing!









Monthly stickers via Lucy Darling
Hairclip via BellaMoza
  • 18lbs (taken on home scale)
  • Cloth diapered during the day, size 3 disposable overnight diaper
  • Wearing 9 month clothes, 6-12 month clothes, tiny newborn shoes
  • Bedtime at 7pm, has been waking up anywhere between 6-7am. We've had some sleep regression the past month and fingers crossed I think we are out of it. Lucy had some random nights of crying out in the middle of the night or trying to wake up at 5-6am. We've had some really bad nap days and some really good nap days. My sister said she remembers Embry having some sleep regression at 9 months so I am glad to hear I am not alone. Lady is learning so much and becoming very independent so some days she wants to make her own schedule.
  • 2 naps a day, 830am and 130pm. Like I said above we had some days of awful 45 minute naps but I think we are back on track. Usually 1.5 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. started 
  • Says dada all day long and has googly eyes for Jon. She has recently started saying mama and baba.
  • She dances and it is adorable! 
  • Just last week she started using random objects as a phone which I remember Ford doing, hilarious and cute.
  • She feeds people her food from her high chair tray and smiles
  • This month has been all about independence. Lucy is crawling like a mad woman, cruising, self feeding, playing on her own. She now stands on her own for 3-5 seconds as of last week! Her sassy little personality is blossoming and there are times where it is hard and frustrating but I love that she is growing and developing into a little girl who knows what she wants. I see so much of myself in her so I can't complain.
  • We call her lady and baeba more than Lucy. If she is playing with a doll we call her doll lady, she likes pickles so we call her pickle lady, and Ford always calls her Baeba which I love.
  • She and Ford have been playing together this past month and it's adorable. She will crawl over and kiss him and he will tickle her back. They also have such a fun time in the bath and get each other giggling and laughing. 
  • She loves playing with her new makeup mirror (and so does Ford), wooden blocks, balloons, Ford's train set. She is obsessed with this little rattle soft baby that is in her crib but she brings it out with her in the mornings sometimes (and also throws it out of her crib when she is standing and screaming and mad). She  kisses her baby dolls and says "aww" which is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. 
  • Girlfriend is such a good eater. She is picky but I am just happy she is eating. Her favorite foods are grilled cheese, quesadillas, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Greek yogurt, cheese, Ritz crackers. I will give her a pouch or puree every other day or so and they aren't her favorite but I can get veggies in her. She can eat a whole banana in one sitting and likes peaches too. 
  • She is nursing 4 times a day, sometimes 5, but I have noticed a huge difference in how often she's nursing now that she's eating real food. I never know how much she is getting nursing but she only takes about 4oz in a bottle when it used to be 6oz. I am planning on starting her on whole milk in a sippy cup soon, hard to believe we are almost ready to wean! She is a very distracted and squirmy nurser these days.
  • Despite being sassy, Lucy is the sweetest little lady. She gives kisses and hugs and lights up when she sees daddy or Ford. Like I say every month, she is the easiest baby to make smile. 
  • She lifts up her hands when you ask how big are you.... SO BIG
  • She signs "all done" and Ford thinks it's so cool
  • She hates getting her diaper changed and face wiped. And I am not talking about a little whine... I will pick her up at the church nursery and they comment on what a fantastic baby she is except she screams her face off when they change her. Crazy girl.
  • She loves playing with other babies and kids.... watching the big kids play and crawling over to babies and grabbing them.
  • She loves to explore on her own. It is cute to let her have free reign of an area and she crawls from one thing to the next. Standing on a chair, moving to the table, standing on Ford's play table, crawling elsewhere. 

Friday, February 26, 2016

Weekly update

I am doing really good at keeping up this blog, right? Ack. I had every intention of writing this week but yeah that just didn't happen. I am ahead of the game and have two post written for next week, woot! So today's post is a picture dump and life update. We had Embry over for a sleepover last night and the kiddos had a blast. We said goodbye to Great Papa and Great Gram who have been here for the past month visiting from Chicago and we have my aunt, uncle, cousin, and fiance flying in from Chicago as we speak. We love having our family in town loving on our kiddos and can't wait to show them around the city. Lucy turns 10 months old TOMORROW. Not sure how that happened but I may be crying my eyes out throughout the day. I should probably just commit to one blog post a week with a random update. Thank you for those of you who have stuck around... I promise things will get.... spicier... around here. Ha.

We hosted a Valentine's Day party for our moms group and painted bird houses (very festive right). Ford is very proud of his and hung it in our backyard. No birds have taken up residence yet but we are on the lookout (it would have to be a micro sized bird lol).

Peanut lady loves pickles, just like Ford! 

Ford LOVES cleaning so I gave him a spray bottle full of water and he spent over an hour cleaning his playset and watering the grass. He is so helpful and determined. 

Ford learned about community helpers last week at school and loved wearing his Police badge and hat. I didn't tell him that I caught Lucy with it in her mouth and ripped it up. Oops.


Ford started swimming lessons in January and I am so stinking proud of him! He is such a good listener, loves his teacher, and is getting braver each lesson. He can swim about 5 feet across the pool. He goes to Emler Swim School for any local people looking for lessons and we really like it. 


Lucy was loving standing in the waiting room watching big brother! Jon was cracking up at this picture because she has the smallest feet and shortest legs ever. 

Two buddies, I love seeing them play together.

Reading to my littles...they both love story time.

A fresh new haircut, a sucker, and a pony ride. 

Taking Lucy's monthly picture has become a family affair but Ernie was slacking on the job. The pictures are almost impossible to get these days, Lucy rarely stays in one place. 

Lucy girl and baby Toddy, 5 months a part and the same size. They are going to be such good buddies.

We hosted my dads birthday party last weekend and it was a blast! We ate, played, ate, and played some more. Here are the grands with great gram and great papa. 


Now with Mimi and Papa


Gram and I made Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls... one of my favorite things to bake! 


Papa with his grands


Lucy was very interested in great papa

James Ford and Ford Nehemiah. We sure are going to miss having him around!


Lucy's hair is getting so long and I am trying to train it to naturally part so we are loving these new felt bow clips from BellaMoza


Friday, February 19, 2016

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

All of the sudden I've been having cravings for Asian inspired dishes which makes my husband very very happy. I am also utilizing my crock pot a lot more because it's nice outside and we've been spending the afternoons in the backyard or at the park and the last thing I want to do is come home and stand over a hot stove for an hour making dinner. I know in the coming months we'll be at the pool in the afternoons as well so I want to add more recipes to my recipe box for the summer. This cashew chicken caught my eye because I love cashews and was excited to try it. It took a little prep in the morning which is fine because I always try to do chores or meal prep during Lucy's morning nap while I let Ford watch a show or play on the iPad. It was pretty darn easy and so delicious!

Ingredients
2lbs boneless skinless chicken, raw
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp canola oil
Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsbp ketcup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes (more if you want spicier)
3/4 cup lightly salted cashews
Green onions
White rice

1. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes. In a bowl coat chicken in flour and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet and pan sear chicken for 5 minutes (you do not have to fully cook the chicken)
3. Meanwhile, stir together soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
4. Place chicken in crock pot and top with mixed sauce
5. Cook on low for 3-4 hours
6. Stir in cashews right before serving
7. Serve with white rice and topped with chopped green onions




Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Dressing her up

If you've met Lucy girl in person, you'd understand my pure enjoyment of dressing her up and taking her pictures. We've had some beautiful spring like days and I've been going through her spring/summer clothes (think adorable smocks and bubbles) and couldn't handle how cute this outfit was. I also can't get over this chick's hair. It's getting long and thick, she's such a little lady! With Easter right around the corner, we got this adorable pink headband from Sweet Babes Bridgeman to match her Easter dress (yes I am crazy and have multiple Easter dresses for her already). Lucy girl has a few other bows from Sweet Babes and I can't tell you amazing they are. They are the softest things I've ever felt, even the band is super soft which is good because Lucy wants to rip anything right off of her head these days. And y'all... this headband is $5.99! Stock up for Easter and spring mamas. And any of her bows can be made into bow ties for your little Mister. 

Head over to my Instagram for a Sweet Babes Bridgeman giveaway!
And use the code RUTHIEHART for 20% off your purchase of $10 or more. 







Monday, February 15, 2016

Love Day

You know you're a parent of a toddler when all you sing on Valentine's Day is the Daniel Tiger Love Day song. Jon hates the show because the songs get stuck in his head but they are catchy and have such good messages! Anyway, yesterday was Valentine's Day and I managed to do a mini photo shoot with the kiddos in the backyard before church. Getting up at the crack of dawn really allows you to do so much before church on Sundays. Jon slept in because I went away for 24 hours and missed my bebes but 6am came way earlier than the lazy Saturday morning I had at a girlfriends house in Houston (more to come). We were out getting donuts by 7am and actually got to church on time. I loved that Vday was on a Sunday because I was reminded that I can love these little sugars because of Jesus and what He did on the cross. John 3:16 is Valentine's Day y'all! 3 years ago our first night with our old Missional Community group was on Valentine's Day so we love spending it with our group to this day. Nothing better than spending love day with MANY people you love who also love Jesus. I made a 6lb frozen lasagna from Sams, drank an Arnold Palmer, and enjoyed getting to hear each couple in our group share about their favorite part of their spouse...both physical and emotional. After putting the kiddos to bed, Jon and I curled up on our outdoor sofa and lit a fire in the pit. It was 60 degrees... another reason I have to ask you Northerners how the heck you live there?! I'm hoping to get some more posts in this week, I have a goal of getting out my good camera at least once a week and I'm 2 weeks strong! I hope your Valentine's Day was relaxing and full of sugar.

Enjoy these cuties. 






Friday, February 12, 2016

Eating with Lucy

If you read any of Lucy's most recently monthly updates, you'd know that we had previously struggled with her liking actual food. Not just table food...purees and basically anything but milk. So we started Ford on baby food at 5.5 months and by 7 months he was no longer eating purees and eating 3 solid meals a day. So you can see why I was shocked that at 8 months Lucy was not interested in anything but a boob, bottle, or occasional puff. I know Ford was an early eater (and a good eater!) so I was trying not to stress about it but I can't lie, She would gag on even the smoothest of mixture. I tried homemade, store bought, pouches, everything. I was worrying about her possibly having tongue tie or issue with her palate. I had heard of mamas having to take their littles to therapy at a year when their kiddo wouldn't even eat purees so I said I would talk to her pediatrician at her 9 month appointment. Lo and behold, the week before she turned 9 months old, something clicked. Here we are a few weeks later and girlfriend eats full grilled cheeses, quesadillas, yogurt, cheese sticks, potatoes, and so much more....with no teeth. So how did I do it? I really can't say much but don't give up. Again... I really wasn't going to get worried until we had hit the 3 month mark of her not eating (and I was worried about her gag reflex, not the fact that she wasn't interested), so I kept trying. I was surprised to see so many moms in a forum talk about how their babes didn't start eating food until 10, 11, and even 12 months. You may be thinking I'm nuts for even worrying because "they" say that food before 12 months is just for fun but I plan on weaning Lucy right at a year like I did Ford.

So mealtime now is fun and messy with Lucy girl. She is very independent and wants to do everything on her own. I try to give her an array of options on her tray and she almost always gravitates towards the dairy and carbs. She still has an empty mouth so I make sure things are soft enough for her to chew, although I am shocked by how she can gum the crap out of foods. I also try to give her something to gnaw on like an apple slice or pepper to soothe her gums. I still do offer her purees once a day to get veggies in her. Her favorites are sweet pea/apple and pumpkin/sweet potato/carrot. And because a girl has always gotta look cute, I got a new set of Lemonade bandana bibs and we LOVE them! We've tried a few different brands of bandana bibs and these are the biggest and softest. They are fleece lined which means her precious little outfits won't get ruined and the patterns are cute! You can get them in a 4 pack for $14.99 on Amazon...killer deal! Head over to my Instagram for a giveaway!






Lemonade Bibs

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Ford 2.5 years

How is my first baby 2.5 years old? And his little sister will be 1 soon! I wanted to do a little update on Ford since I no longer do the monthly posts and he is growing and changing so much! Not a day goes by that he doesn't absolutely shock us with how smart he is and the hilarious things he comes up with. He is so loving, gentle, and kind (and emotional...very emotional) which I know is rare in a little boy but those are my favorite traits about him. He loves his preschool, his little sister, and going 100 miles a minute from sun up to sun down. I snapped these photos of Ford Nehemiah last week, he really is growing into such a handsome little boy!








Ford's adorable chambray bowtie is handmade by Sweet Babes Bridgeman and you can get it for onl $5.99! We own a handful of hair accessories for Lucy from Sweet Babes Bridgeman and they are adorable, soft, and unique. ANY of the bows can be made into a bowtie, so you can get your boys/girls matching ones. Check them out!

  • Weighs 34lbs and is 35" tall. I took these at Lucy's well check a few weeks ago. He won't go to the doctor for another 6 months until he's 3
  • Bedtime is 7:30pm and sleeps 12-13 hours. Still takes a nap at 1:30pm for 1.5-2 hours.
  • Ford still sleeps in a crib and we have no plans on moving him anytime soon. And a sleepsack too!
  • Ford is a really good eater but picky about textures and the look of foods. He loves pineapple but if there is even a spec of brown on it, he won't touch it. He also won't eat a banana if there are any strings and has to have it in the peel so his hands don't get dirty. His favorite foods are meatballs, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, pickles, broccoli, carrots, Nutrigrain bars, greek yogurt, waffles, breakfast tacos. He now likes cheeseburgers which makes going out to eat easier. He drinks a lot of milk and water throughout the day. He is hit or miss about trying things... he got super sad when Jon offered him a bite of Reese Puffs cereal this week. Oye. 
  • He is still very sensitive, cuddly, and lovey... and I love it!
  • He's been potty trained for 8 months now and I can't tell you how awesome it is. He wears underwear throughout the day and a nighttime diaper at night. He tells us when he has to go and goes on his own without help...I loved getting to this point! The one thing we do is help him wipe after #2, although he likes to do it himself. 
  • He is VERY independent and I am pretty sure we hear this phrase 100 times a day "I want to do it by myself". 
  • He loves counting everything and counts/sees things in groups like Jon. We pass his school everyday when leaving our neighborhood and he will tell us how many cars are in the parking lot and it's usually in groups of 3 which is how Jon groups/counts things. So interesting!
  • Going on the bullet above, he is very engineer minded. He wants to know how things work, why they work, take them apart, and put them together. He gets so focused and sticks his tongue out like me when I concentrate.
  • He asks "Why" about 100 times a day and now I just have to say "Because God made it like that honey and no more asking why". Toddlers....
  • He also is very sensitive to sound and says "Oh what was that sound?!" even if it's an everyday sound
  • We call him a little busy body because if he can't hear you or you say something (even not to him) he asks, "Mama what your say to me?". He wants to be IN the know.
  • He can spell a few words including his own name. He knows the ABCs and recognizes letters, "E for Embry! L for Lucy!" etc. He will find words on magnets, books, signs, and papers and spell out the words. 
  • He knows every shape... and I am not just talking about squares and circles. He recognizes hexagons, octagons, semi circles, etc. 
  • He loves to help us cook in the kitchen. He makes breakfast tacos with Jon most mornings and cracks the eggs and stirs. He always says "I am a good helper!"
  • He goes to Mother's Day Out preschool Tuesdays and Thursdays and absolutely loves it. He is thriving, learning, and having so much fun! He has learned so many new songs and talks about his school friends and teachers all the time.
  • He loves to clean... and gets very stressed out if he can't. One of his favorite things to do is get a water spray bottle and paper towels and go to town. He is VERY neat and hates to get even one dot of marker on his hands.
  • He loves crafts, drawing, painting, and creating. Right now his favorites are Color Wonder Markers, Play Dough, and painting with toilet paper rolls. 
  • We went to Disney over Christmas and he still talks about it almost every day and how he was scared of the mermaid show and space ride. 
  • He calls daddy Jon a lot and learned that Mimi's name was Jimi and said "Like Jimmy Fallon!". He recognizes Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Kelly and Michael... mommmy's favorites. 
  • He is very independent and wants to do everything on his own.
  • He loves to pray on his own, especially at dinner he says he wants to do it by himself and we often sit there for 5 minutes while he mumbles prayers. It is so cute.
  • He sings a lot... Bye Oh, Bushel and a Peck, I'm a Little Pine Tree, How Great Thou Art, Jesus Loves Me
  • He has memorized a handful of his favorite books and loves to "read them". Brown Bear, 10 Friendly Fish, Curious George.
  • His favorite shows are Team Umizoomi, Curious George, and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
  • He loves playing at the park with his buddies, running around, and collecting rocks.
  • At home his favorite things to do are crafts, building a train track with daddy, cooking in his kitchen, playing games on his iPad, hiding with daddy, reading books, and building towers.
  • We got out the Wii a few weeks ago and have been having a blast in the evenings playing Rock Band, fishing, bowling, jousting... Ford is hilarious and loves it! He loves singing while we do rock band and just slobbering all over the microphone and saying "Hello"
  • He had a fever and cough last week and didn't feel good. Any time we would give him meds or put oils on him he'd say, "This feel me better". 
  • At dinner over the week he said, "MMM delicious! Thank you mama for making this for me." and I told him what a nice thing it was for him to say that and he responds, "Yes I have good manners". 
  • This past week he's been using "actually" a lot and it's hilarious. 
  • He is so sweet you guys and remorseful if he does something he's not supposed to... he dropped a piece of Kraft singles cheese on the floor and it kind of got stuck (lol) and I was cleaning it up and visibly annoyed and he said "Mama I'm sorry, it was my fault". And then I melted. 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...