Spring Pics of the Kids!

I had spring pics of the kids made.  :)

Surviving the 3 month growth spurt

I will make it through, I just have to.

That was my saying all week this last week. We conquered and are starting to overcome the 3 month growth spurt.  We are battling the every hour to hour and a half feedings...we are winning the fussiness and erratic sleep schedules. We will survive. And we will thrive. lol.

I have done a lot, I mean a lot of research when it comes to baby growth spurts (among other things). For a breast feeding mama, it is not a walk in the park. For a formula fed baby, the baby will take more ounces at each feeding and will possibly want a bottle a few times extra each day. For a breast feeding mama, it is a glued to the sofa, no sleep, honestly feeling like a dairy cow kind of week.  And let me tell you, those little articles you find that says 2-3 days and baby may  eat more than normal and may  have changes in sleep patterns...HA! They make me laugh!  But there are steps to get through...

1. You will also be starving! I mean think about it, the baby is eating upwards of 14 times a day (in my case :), he's definitely taking every slither of nutrition from your body! Which is good for a growing boy, exhausting for mama. Make sure you eat a well balanced diet, that does not include the bag of powdered donuts I ate this week. :) Eat lots of protein, good fats, such as olive oil and real butter, and plenty of veggies. When Ty goes through a growth spurt, I literally eat us out of house and home.  One would think I am a teenage boy! ha.

2.  Stay hydrated. Drink PLENTY of water. Not only does this keep your energy levels raised, but also keeps you hydrated and helps with milk supply. I mean, you do have a screaming baby because he doesn't understand that he just drained you 30 minutes ago and now wants another full feeding! Gotta keep that supply up!

3.  Nurse. This may sound obvious. But nurse anytime baby wants to.  It may not be convenient or easy. As a matter of fact, it is tiring, it is hard, you want to just lay on the floor and not move. But you need to. Why? 1. Constant nursing  ups your milk supply for growing baby. After all that's what he needs. Let him nurse and pacify. Believe you me, it will make a difference. He will be more satisfied.  2.  If you try to "schedule" feedings rather than nurse on demand during a growth spurt (I am an advocate of nursing on demand all the time, but that's another story for another day) you will prolong the spurt. Baby needs mommy's milk to grow and flourish. And I have been guilty of saying "goodness, he JUST ate!" Well guess what, he's hungry again..:) 

4.  Rest. You will be tired from the sleepless nights and exhausting days. Rest when baby rests. I am one that can not take a nap during the day...oh how I wish I could. But resting on the couch with a good book (for what I'm reading now click HERE) can rejuvenate you like none other.

5. Finally..Pray. God knows you are weary, sweet mother. Pray that God will grant you the wisdom and strength to endure. I feel that during these sleepless nights, God is calling me closer to him. As hard as this season may be, I know that it is just a rain drop. And God pours his precious rain drops so we all may grow. Baby in his physical growth, and I in my spiritual walk. 

Luckily, the next baby growth spurt will be at 6 months! Ironically we will be starting solids around that time which will help fill his little tummy. I am researching and praying now about "baby led weaning" (not really "weaning" in the american sense :) or the all so common pureeing baby food for his first solids. 

Hoped this helped you if you are going through a growth spurt yourselves. It is a season and it will pass. :)

3 months old

Weight & length:  on our home scale he is measuring 13 lbs! and 24 1/2 inches long

Sleeping:  Every 3 hours like clockwork :)

Eating: I nurse on demand so the schedule is different every day. He is beginning to get on more of a schedule. He never goes less than 2 hours in the day and never more than 4.

Diapers: Size 1

Clothing: 3 months.  Did wear his Kawasaki onesie that was 6 months, but of course, it's a little big. :)

Hair: Dark brown, has lost right much more. :) 

Eyes: Navy blue but turning brown 

Personality:  Still the happiest in the morning. His personality is definitely starting to show more. He is so very observant. He loves to watch people quietly. He is really babbling a lot more! He moves his hands constantly and still keeps his hands in a fist most of the time.

Milestones: He is talking and cooing up a storm! He loves his kick and play gym playmat where he kicks the piano. He is starting to grab anything and everything and put it in his mouth.  He is drooling like crazy! I will roll over with ease with help and bears his weight on his legs for a few seconds. He can not stand tummy time but holds his head up and still great, so I'm not going to worry too much. ;)

Firsts: He sat in his high chair for the first time! Not to eat of course, but to be in the kitchen with mommy while she cooked supper. Also played in his Einstein jumping gym for the first time, he loves that! We took our first trip to Roanoke and to see our friends who just had a baby in February. He got to wear his Kawasaki onesie. For meaning click HERE.

I won!

I just received an adorable matchbox car case for bug in the mail...and the best part? It was FREE!  That's right, we all love free things!  It came from Hold That Thought's Etsy shop HERE.  She has all different kinds of painted customized items for little ones and can even paint your own pieces if you send them to her!  How did I win this? 

Head over to my bloggy friend, Annie's page. She is always running free giveaways from workout tanks to toddler food. Her blog is www.annieandbillychaptersofourlife.blogspot.com! Check her out and enter for yourself! She is a work-at-home, working out, healthy eating, crafty wifey A, married to daddy B and mama to baby C.  I know you will love her! Tell her I sent ya!

Kid's bathroom redo - 30 minutes and $30

The children have their own bathroom and I have never actually "decorated" it. I'm not sure if it's because they fail to keep it clean, or just because no guests ever venture into it. But I decided to spruce it up a bit and make it more kid friendly. :) 

I saw THIS post yesterday and fell in LOVE with her redo, and I decided on a whim to get busy. I so wish I had a window in this bathroom like her redo, it lets so much light in! 

With $30, a trip to Walmart, and a printer, I was able to change their bathroom from dull and boring to cute and cheery. :)

Here are the before. Plain shower curtain, no towels, and nothing on the walls. Wow, that's a fun room first thing in the morning!

Here are the afters: Luckily I have a very neutral wall which didn't need repainting.

The shower curtain has fun colors like orange, teal, purple, and pink. I pulled the orange and teal since we do have a boy in the house now. The shower curtain and towels came from Walmart. The rug, I already had, it came from Willow House and is on sale right now for $10! (originally $42.95) Click HERE. The polka dotted towel came from the kitchen department at Walmart. The green bin also came from Walmart (I got a few of these a few weeks ago)

I printed all of the pictures off of the internet! (click on the image to get a larger picture) The top trio came from www.overthebigmoon.com  The bottom subway art print came from www.thepinkinkdoodle.blogspot.com and the "splish splash" came from www.darlingdoodlesdesign.com

Yes, the towel is extremely wrinkled, don't judge. :)

 The Lollie Lanterns also came from Willow House and are on sale right now for $8.50 (normally $30) Click HERE.

I think for $30 and 30 minutes of time, it turned out rather cute!

Menu Plan Monday

Hi, guys! It has been so long since I have posted my menu plan on here! So why not today. I am making a few new recipes this week, so I wanted to share with you! If we enjoy the recipes, I will post them here. :)

Monday:  "Man Pleasing" Chicken, green beans, cornbread casserole

Tuesday:  Dance Class Night - Crock pot lasagna

Wednesday: Cold front moving in :) Chicken & Dumplings

Thursday:  Dance Class Night - CORN (clean out refrigerator night) i.e. leftovers 

Friday: The kids and I are heading to my future sister-in-law's house! Hubby gets leftovers :)

Saturday: Roasted Tomato Basil Pizza (My favorite!)

Yum! What are you having for dinner this week?