Reagan's Seven Month Birthday (+ a Prayer Request)

Hey, hey, hey!

It's that time again.  

Time to see how Baby Girl, and thus our lives, 

have changed!

-Temperament-

Overall, she is a happy baby!  

That is, unless you 

a) take her bottle from her before the last drop is drained, 

b) you stand in the way of the TV when her Mickey is on, 

or c) she is teething or in the middle of a growth spurt.  

But she spends most of her days bouncing in the exersaucer 

(can you say "lifesaver"?!), 

smiling and laughing at her hilarious parents 

(okay, I might have gone a little far with that one, lol), 

or attempting to pick up anything within her reach.  

She's a busy little bee!

-Weight-

At her 6 month appointment, 

Reagan was 17 lbs, 5 oz and 26 3/4 inches long.  

Yeah, she's a chunk, lol.  

That's roughly in the 75th percentile for both weight and height.  

Not too shabby, right? ;)

-Milestones-

While we're still not crawling, 

Miss Thing has mastered the art of sitting up and likes to bend at the 

waist until she's almost on her stomach to reach her toys.  

Sometimes she'll flop on over and then get mad 

because she can't figure out how to get where she wants to go.  

Oh well, she'll learn soon enough! 

She can, however, 

stand up while holding onto furniture, 

and attempts to walk in the mobile walker.  

Perhaps she'll do what her Daddy did and completely

 skip crawling and go straight to pulling up and walking??  

You never know with these kiddos!

Food wise, 

Reagan's been quite adventurous 

and is trying a wide array of yummy foods.  

So far she has tried (and enjoys) sweet potatoes, carrots, 

sweet peas, avocados, apples, bananas, pears, and mango.  

Tonight we're trying out the ole' kidney beans---

yummo!  

She is currently the proud owner of 

two pearly white hamster teeth, 

and is working on a third!  

Just when I thought that smile couldn't get any cuter, 

I see two tiny chompers peeking out 

and I just have to giggle!  

-Clothes-

She's still fitting into her 6-month stuff, 

which the occasional 9-month jacket or onesie.  

She loves her footie jammies, which is strange, 

because she really doesn't like to wear socks or shoes 

(she pulls them off or kicks her legs till they fall off, lol).  

But put her in a pair of footie jammies 

and she's happy as a clam!  

-Pictures-

My favorite part of the updates! :)

She's eyeing my left hand...the one that contains the bowl of bananas and oatmeal, lol.

This was the face I got before leaving for my single day of work one week.  

It was sooo hard to leave her! 

Love. This. Tiny. Diva.

One word: carrots.  Bahaha!  (This was her first taste.  

She learned to like them shortly after.)

Post-bath curls :)

Chillin' with Mommy.

She's such a big girl--sitting up in the buggy all by herself! 

Before her Dedication Ceremony at church!

First attempt at a sippy cup...

this is definitely going to take more practice, lol.

She was going for the "domestic goddess" look that day. 

And she totally ROCKED it! 

;)

Mommy's first time painting the piggies...

yeah, I should have waited till she was asleep. 

Mid-thigh rolls are my fave. 

:)

Holding her bottle like a pro!

Sporting her "Grandpa's Sweetheart" onesie on her Grandpa Dick's birthday.  

I sure do wish he could have met this little sweetie!

Morning play time is always fun.  She "speed dates" her toys and then decides

 she wants to watch Mickey instead.  

Nutso.

There is no place I'd rather be than here, with you. 

Seven month photo shoot! I love how she's leaning in to see her 

Daddy while he takes her picture. 

:)

Seven month progression.  

It's amazing to see how she's changed!  

Wow!

Isn't she a doll??

Gah. 

I'm so in love with this munchkin!

<3

Ok, now that our little update is done, 

let's talk prayer requests!

I've enjoyed sharing my

infertility journey with you

all, and I feel so blessed to be able to

share God's love and faithfulness

with others through this trial in my life. 

But... 

I can't shake the feeling that God is

 trying to show me a new area 

He wants to use me in, and I've been 

praying for Him to point me in the direction

He wants my blog and I to go.

What is this "new area", you ask?

I believe it is fitness, 

nutrition, and how to juggle 

healthy living 

while being a full-time Mommy.  

I know, you're probably like, 

"Where in the world did this come from?!"

Let me explain a little more...

I have been unhappy in my body

for years now, which (as you can imagine)

was only worsened postpartum.  

I hated the way I looked and I 

didn't even want my husband to look 

at me because I felt like a nasty troll 

(yes, I may have used those 

exact words at one point).

As you can imagine, this 

puts stress on the intimacy-side 

of marriage,

as well as my overall well-being.

Something had to give!

After praying and asking God to forgive me for 

not loving myself

the way He loves me or seeing the beauty 

in the body He gave me, 

I realized that I was the one who,

with prayer and dedication, 

could make the necessary

changes in order to be happy in my own

skin.

I had to make my body the 

temple it was designed 

to be so that God 

can use me to my full potential.

Profound, right?

I had to put these 

conclusions to action!

So, I have recently been making

alterations in my lifestyle: 

eating "clean" (no processed or refined foods),

no wheat/dairy (due to intolerances),

and incorporating weight

training into my workout routine

to gain strength.

I changed my diet almost four weeks

ago, and I have to say

that I haven't felt this good in...

well, I don't even

remember the last time I felt this good!

I have energy, despite 

being a full-time Mommy and part-time nurse.

My body has changed in

the most amazing ways in such a 

short period of time.

(I have abs again, y'all! 

Gasp!)

My constant physical ailments 

have all but subsided, including reflux, 

bloating, headaches, abdominal

pain, and chronic constipation

(TMI, I know, lol).  

I'm sleeping better at night, 

and I only drink one cup of coffee in the morning

(to help get me going ;) ).

See what I mean?? 

It's amaze-balls, folks!

So amaze-balls that I have to share

this with others

who are struggling with

loving their own God-given bodies!

Whatcha think??

Am I crazy for wanting to make this move?

Please be praying for 

God's guidance, 

and also please leave me a comment

with your thoughts!

I love you all and I can't thank you enough 

for sticking with me on this crazy 

path to Mommyhood. 

Of course, the journey has only begun,

so don't think I'll stop

updating you guys on our miracle!

I hope that as 

my blog evolves into 

something different, 

you guys will continue to follow

me as I go where God is leading me.

You never know--

God may have a blessing waiting 

for you there, too! 

:)

Reagan's Half-Year Birthday!

Man, it feels like for-ev-er 

(insert kid's voice from "The Sandlot")

since I've posted!  

I've really missed you guys!  

Let's see what's happened since I've been away,

shall we?

---

Well, for starters...

I have dealt with some tough emotional issues

over the past few months.  

Issues with handling

the changes that having a baby brings about

(as well as those pesky hormonal

ups and downs).

In a nutshell, 

I was trying to compare myself 

to all the other mothers 

I know,

as well as comparing Reagan to

their babies.

I know, shame on me. 

:(

I would get upset at myself if I couldn't 

accomplish all my 

daily chores of the day,

or if I didn't have time to thaw

meat out to make dinner for 

my husband.

I felt like I was letting he and Reagan 

down by not 

being a "good" wife and Mommy.

I also was getting frustrated when

Miss Thing wouldn't

nap longer than thirty minutes,

or when a friend's baby 

who was the same age

hit a milestone and she didn't.  

After praying about and struggling 

with this for weeks,

I finally felt the need to message an old

friend of mine from back home

about my concerns and

asked her to keep me in her prayers.

Her response was definitely

God-sent,

and it totally changed the way

I view my days.

She said she also had been

dealing with the sin of "comparing" her life,

which allowed bitterness to build

in her heart,

both towards herself and her son.

She had to ask forgiveness

from God

and then thank Him 

for the blessings thru the trials.

Even though her son

doesn't sleep the best,

he's healthy.

Even though he is clingy/needy, 

he's happy.

That's all that matters.

It doesn't matter if you

put a meal made from scratch 

on the table,

or if you heated

up a Stouffer's meal.

It doesn't matter if you 

completed every task on your 

To-Do list

while your child took

a two-hour nap,

or if you managed to

accomplish just the bare minimum

in between their cat-naps.

We have to continue to 

see the blessings in everything.

Even in the mundane, 

little things that we sometimes take for 

granted. 

After my conversation with her,

I chose to view life differently.

Instead of looking at everyday

like a version of Groundhog Day 

(yes, I'm embarrassed to 

say this is exactly how I described

it to my husband),

I now look at each day 

as an opportunity to teach my

daughter something.

To shower her with unconditional 

love.

To show her what a blessing 

she is to us,

and how much she

has changed our lives for the better.

And to show her how to 

live for God.

Every. Single. Day.

Whew.  

What a relief it was 

to figure out what was bothering me

and give it to God!  

It's amazing how, when we do that,

He supplies us with renewed

peace and patience,

and helps us to see The Big Picture

again!

---

Hmm...what else?

I started back at my old job 

(home health)

doing only one day a week.

So far, it's going great!

It sure is a blessing to be

able to work that one day and then spend 

the rest of my time with my

little munchkin!

Alright, now that you know

how I have changed 

in the last month,

let's look at how Peanut

has changed, too!

-Temperament-

She started putting herself 

to sleep the week after Christmas,

and (for the most part)

continues to do so!  

This is a SERIOUS blessing---

no more bouncing

till my legs hurt! lol

We had a slight regression

that lasted a good two weeks or so

(waking early from her naps 

and throughout the night),

but now Baby Girl 

is back on track.

Woohoo!

Reagan smiles at people

she recognizes now,

which sure does melt your heart!

She likes to squeal and 

make noises, 

but doesn't quite "babble" yet.

I'm waiting for the 

day when I hear "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma"

coming from her nursery monitor.

I'm sure it'll be

any day now! 

She likes to grab EVERYTHING now,

especially our phones.

She has figured out she can

actually bounce in

her Exersaucer,

so that occupies at least a few 

minutes of her day.

Nothing really keeps her attention

for more than ten minutes at a time, though.

Apparently, I can thank her Daddy

for this, because he was

just like that as a child.  

Grrrrrreat, lol.

-Weight-

The last time I weighed her,

Miss Piggy was somewhere around 16 lbs.

Yeah, I know.  

Homegirl likes to eat.

;)

Her 6-month well-check is this Thursday,

so we shall see what she's 

at then!  

-Milestones-

Reagan is officially sitting up

on her own!  

She loves to sit up and 

place her toys in front of her and

then kick them till they're 

out of reach.

Then she will grab them 

(or make us give them back)

and it starts all over again.

Silly puppy, lol.

We started her on baby food about two

weeks shy of her sixth month

birthday due to the doctor's recommendation.

Her reflux wasn't getting any better 

with the medications,

so we decided to stop them all and

start baby food, which 

would allow us to decrease the 

amount of formula she was getting.

Believe it or not, 

this has made a world of difference!

Her spit-up episodes have

decreased at least 75%,

and now when she does spit-up,

it's usually because 

we've jostled her a little too much.

PTL for this,

because everything was getting 

creamed with formula

puke on a daily basis! 

(Which feels even more gross

than it sounds, lol.)

So, you may be asking how

she liked the baby food.

It's food, ain't it?? 

This chick LOVES to eat!

It doesn't really matter

what it is I'm feeding her 

(although she definitely prefers 

bananas to apples

and sweet potatoes to avocados),

she opens her mouth

and cleans up that spoon

like a pro! 

That's my girl! ;)

Side Note:

I'm making all of her baby food

right now,

so if you have any pointers

or "go-to" recipes,

please leave a comment 

or message me and fill me in! 

Thanks!

In addition to sitting up 

and starting 

baby food, Baby Girl also

cut her first tooth!  

Eek!!!

It's the bottom, front, right one, 

and it's teeny tiny and 

oh-so cute.  

Her Daddy and I were soooo

happy to see that little guy

poking through,

because she was constantly fussy,

not wanting to finish her bottles,

and not sleeping well 

(this was the regression I mentioned earlier).

Let's just hope she handles

it a little better next time one starts to 

come in.

(Yeah, right.)

-Clothes-

For the most part, 

Miss Thunder-Thighs is wearing

6-month attire,

with the occasional 3-month

onesie or 9-month outfit

that fits (depending on the brand).

-Pictures-

(Warning: prepare to be bombarded 

with cuteness!)

Bath time photoshoot! 

Miss Priss has mastered the art of 

splashing water 

with her legs, which 

makes baths way more fun!

Showing Mommy her spiffy socks.

Her first snow day!

She was less than impressed

with the cold, white stuff,

lol. 

Sitting up like a big girl!

(And VERY into Mickey,

if you can't tell from 

the expression, lol.)

"I said no more pics, Mom! Now go 

to your room.  I said go!"

Diggin' her new ride (which she only 

knows how to operate in 

reverse).

Big bow = big smile!

You are my sunshine...my only sunshine...

:)

Wagon ride with Mickey!

I think the sun was a little bright. 

Poor Baby Girl couldn't see, lol.

Constructing her next masterpiece...

Fingers in the mouth.

Always.

She knows she's cool...

Snuggle time with Mommy!

(And yes, I chopped off all my hair! 

BIG mistake! Haha.)

Six month photoshoot!

My fave.

<3

Love. This. Tiny. Human. 

---

That's all, folks!

I can't wait to update y'all again 

next month, 

because at the rate this kid

changes, I'm sure 

there will be tons of new milestones

to report by then!

I pray you all have a fab February!

Until we meet again...

:)

Verse/Thought of the Day:

"I will sing of your strength, 

in the morning I will sing of your love; 

for you are my fortress, 

my refuge in times of trouble." 

Psalm 59:16

No matter the obstacle 

you're facing,

no matter how busy your 

day may be...

you're never too busy 

to stop and praise the King!

(Hey, that rhymed...sort of, lol.)

Reagan's Five Month Birthday (and First Christmas!)

Well, hey again!

I sure have missed you guys!

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas 

with your families 

celebrating the birth of our Savior---

I know I did!

I feel like it's been for-ev-er since I've posted, 

so let's catch up on what's new with

myself and Baby Girl!

Let's see, where to begin...

We managed to survive our first "family virus" 

that made it's way through our home...

Blah.

At first, it was a head cold that started
with a sore throat,

fever, congestion, etc. and lasted

a good two weeks.

My hubby got it first, then two weeks

later I was lucky enough

to experience it. 

(Joy...lol.)

Two weeks after THAT,

Miss Priss caught a little different

strain of it (it only lasted a few days), 

so of course, the hubs and I caught that 

one from her, too.

Just when we thought we were all

in the clear, here comes the flu.

No lie.

So now Reagan has a fever, aches, and is just 

generally whimpy.

Poor kid!

And a month from being able to get the 

flu shot, too! 

Anyway, I'm hoping this is the last

of the sickness for this family for a while!

---

Christmas this year was 

definitely "different" 

(babies have a way of changing things---

but for the better, of course!).

But it was also, hands down,

the best Christmas ever since we 

finally got to enjoy it

with our sweet little blessing!

Reagan got to meet Santa (pics below),

who she wasn't too sure about.

She didn't cry (PTL), but

she sure didn't smile either! lol

Christmas morning,

we "helped" her open her gifts,

which she had little interest in.

She was much more into watching

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 

and taking a nice long nap, lol.

But she really did an awesome job of 

going with the flow as we went from one 

festivity to another!

As long as she had her bottle and a place 

to take a siesta,

she was good to go! ;)

Now I can't wait to experience Christmas with 

Baby Girl 

as she gets older!

---

My parents, younger brother, sister-in-law,

 and niece all made the trip up 

here to see us over the weekend, 

which was such a treat!

I always love seeing their faces, 

and being able to finally spend some quality time

with my sweet little niece was

just icing on the cake!

---

After my last round of mastitis, 

my husband and I made the decision to

wean Reagan to formula so that 

I wouldn't get that sick again.

Trust me, 

that was one of the toughest decisions 

I've had to make as a

Mommy so far!

Luckily, I had PLENTY of breastmilk 

stored in the freezer for such an occasion,

so we were able to able to transition her

slowly over a 6-week period.

Christmas Day was her last day of 

"Mommy milk",

but she seems to be doing just fine

on the formula!  

PTL the kid just loves food, 

so she made it easy for us! lol

---

Unfortunately, though, we've been battling

with the dreaded "R" word...

Reflux.

Ugh.

We started to notice it more

around her 2-month checkup.

She would almost always spit up after

her bottle;

sometimes it was only 

a little bit, but most of the time

it was like a volcano.

It got progressively worse 

over the next two months, but her 

weight was steadily 

increasing, so we figured it wasn't 

something we needed to rush to the pediatrician 

for.

At her 4-month check up, however, 

I couldn't take it any longer.

We were going through as many as 28

burp cloths in 4 days,

and I felt like I couldn't 

take her anywhere because I wasn't 

sure if she was going to puke all over the place.

Sad, I know! lol

The doc recommended we try a tsp or two of

rice cereal in each bottle to thicken it.

We tried that for about two weeks and it didn't

really seem to help.

To make a long story short, 

we have been through every trick in the book

to help this kid keep her food down.

We've finally ended up with this concoction, which seems

to be helping over the last few days:

-Formula + 2 tsp of rice cereal to each bottle

-Zantac (to reduce the acid in her belly) twice a day

-Reglan (to help her stomach empty better) three times a day

-Burp about every ounce during her feeding

-Up after meals for at least 15 minutes

It seems like a lot of work just to keep

the amount of spit up down, 

but when it's your child throwing up all over 

herself, you, the floor, her toys, 

and your loved ones, 

you'll do just about anything to make it stop! lol

Please pray this continues to help until

Lil Bit grows out of this reflux stage!

---

Now for Miss Thing's monthly "update":

-Temperament-

She has her moments, but she is mostly a happy little camper!

She loves to smile and gives 

us a good belly laugh every now and then

that just melts our hearts!

She loves to do the Hokey Pokey and play

Peekaboo.

She also loves to be put up on her Daddy's shoulders

so she can see everything.  She grabs 

his hair to hold on. 

Cutest. Thing. Ever.

-Weight-

Chunky McChunkster is weighing in 

at a hefty 15 lbs now.

Yikes!

That may sound like a lot, and those cheeks

do have their own zip code, 

but it's really only in the 50th percentile, so

she's perfectly "average" for her age!

She's 24 inches long (as of her last appointment), 

which is also in the 50th percentile.

So Baby Girl is average all around!

-Clothes-

She's what I'd call "in between sizes" 

again.

3-months seems a little tight in some

brands, 

but 6-month is too big.

But I love that we've gotten into 

some of the winter attire (even though we haven't

 really had a true "winter" here yet),

so I can layer stuff and not

be as worried about her overheating.

The only problem is that she takes 

after her Mommy...she hates to

have anything on her feet.

I put the cutest little boots on her and she kicks

them off before we even leave the house! 

Bummer, lol.

-Milestones-

Reagan isn't much for rolling over these days.
She still can go from
tummy to back when she wants to,
but she's usually perfectly content to just
prop up on her wrists and take in
the view from her belly.

I keep trying to work with her on
rolling more often and going
from back to tummy,
but she's just not diggin' it.
Oh well.
I'm sure she'll learn when she's good
and ready! ;)

Something she does enjoy is sitting up, though!
She can balance herself
by leaning forward just a little or putting
her hands on her feet.
I'm so proud of her!
Her GG bought her an adorable pink
stuffed chair with her name on it
for Christmas,
which she likes to prop up in and watch
her toons.
(Crazy kid, lol.)

-Pictures-

She doesn't look so sure about this bearded man...lol.

My lil' cutie patootie.
:)

VERY into her toys.

Reading a story to Sophie the giraffe,
her new BFF.

First outfit of the holiday season!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

My silly monkey in her Christmas PJ's (this is going
to be my yearly Christmas Eve gift to her).
This was before the marathon of gift-opening began!

This is what she gave me when I said, "Say 'Yay, Aunt Jenn!'"
LOL!

This girl loves her rice cereal!
It's finger-lickin' good.

Trying out her new chair!

"Whatchu lookin' at?"

Giggles for Mickey!

"Look, Mom!
I feel better!
No more fever!"

Penny for your thoughts, Baby Girl.
:)

Alrighty,
I think we're all caught up now!

I'll be back next month for another update,
and possibly a little post here and
there (if I can find the time
in between bottles, naps, and chores! lol).

I hope you all have a safe and blessed New Year!
I have a feeling 2014
 is going to
be even better than 2013!
That God of ours is always up to something! ;)

Till we meet again...

Verse/Thought of the Day (or Month, I suppose):

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation.
The old has passed away;
behold,
the new has come."

2 Corinthians 5:17

We don't have to wait till the New Year 
rolls around
to make changes in our lives.

God honors "resolutions"
(spiritually speaking)
all year round!

And the greatest resolution we can
make it to invite Jesus into
our hearts and give our lives over to
Him.

When we do,
(just like the above verse says)
the old passes away
and you become a new creation
in Christ!

To learn more about how you
can make this ultimate, 
life changing decision, click here.

Happy New Year, y'all!

Reagan's Four Month Birthday

I know, y'all...

I'm extremely late on posting this!

We had company staying with us all of 

last week for Thanksgiving,

and then, of course,

 I caught a lovely virus from my husband (thanks, honey!), 

which I still have.

So to say it's been a little cray-cray around here is an understatement!

But, I finally had a few minutes 

to myself while Miss Priss 

is sleeping, so I finally get to update you

on how she's doing!

She officially turned four months
last Friday, so let's see what's
happening in her world...

Temperament:

She's a happy, smiley baby...most of the time!
Take her bottle from her or ignore her
for too long and you're bound to hear some fussing.

She is laughing a lot more, and loves it when
her Daddy sings "her song" called Baby Bear.
(Yes, he made it up.
And yes, it's quite hilarious, lol.)

She also thinks it's hilarious to be naked.
As soon as I start to take off her clothes
she giggles and smiles the cutest smile ever!

Weight:

According to our home scale,
her weight has tapered off a bit at
thirteen and a half pounds.
I'm assuming that's somewhere in the 50%
percentile, but we'll find out
for sure at her four month check-up
tomorrow!

Clothes:

She's still in her three month clothes,
which makes me happy---
I'm not ready to have her move up to the
six month stuff already!
That would mean she's really growing up!
The way I see it,
the longer she stays in three month clothing,
the longer I can pretend she's still
my little bitty baby.
:)

Milestones:

Reagan is grabbing for her toys on
the activity mat now
and continues to roll over (most the time)
when she does her tummy time.

Still no belly laugh, but I think it's coming
soon!

Pictures:

This is her "stank face".
Little stinker, lol.

Well, excuuuuuse me for interrupting
your Doc McStuffins,
Miss Thing.
No need to pout.

Tummy time!
(While watching Toy Story, of course.)

Ducky face!

Checking out all the ruffles on
her Thanksgiving dress.

Annnnd there goes the hand in
the mouth.

Little Miss Photogenic,
herself.

Four Month photo shoot!

Well, guys, that's is for today!
Sorry it took so long to finally post!

Seeing that I'm always behind on posting lately,
I was starting to think maybe it would
be a good idea for me to spread the posts out more...
like, maybe once a month?
Then I could sit down and focus on
writing a really good post,
instead of always rushing to get a short
one in every week.

Whatcha think??

Let's try it out next month and see what happens!
I'll miss y'all in the meantime!
:)

I hope you have a blessed Christmas,
remembering what this time of year
is TRULY about:

the miraculous birth of our Savior!



Verse/Thought of the Day:

"For unto us a child is born,
a Son is given.
The government will be on His
shoulders.
His name will be Wonderful,
Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

Praise God for the birth of His son,
the reason for the season!