Water Baby.

I finally got around to uploading our photos from Memorial Day weekend, and I had to share a few cute ones of Elliott's first "swimming" experience.  I think he really enjoyed cooling off in his pool.  It won't be long and he'll be splashing around like a little fish.

Happy little water baby.

He found his toes this week, and they are his new favorite toy.

Daddy and Elliott.

Mom and her sleepy boy who refused his naps all weekend to hang out with the family.

Happy Memorial Day! (I <3 BBQ)

I love how happy our little guy is all the time.  He has such a fun personality and we're getting lots of smiles and giggles every day.  We're looking forward to seeing our little water baby take in the beach this August.

Memorial Day Weekend.

We had such a wonderful three day weekend with family and friends.  We spent most of the weekend in Hot Springs at my parent's lake house relaxing, eating, and getting some sun.  But, we did make it back to Little Rock to see Third Eye Blind play at Riverfest Saturday night.

Elliott loved being at the lake with family.  He refused to nap for more than 20 minutes at a time for fear of being left out of the fun.  Here are a few moments captured via Instagram.  (I'll post a few more from our camera later this week when I have time to upload them.)

This holiday weekend could not have come at a better time.  I needed a change of scenery after being cooped up with a sick baby all week.  Feeling refreshed and ready for the week ahead.  Happy Memorial Day!

Life Factory.

So Gary recently got on health kick and decided to start drinking more water.  If you know Gary at all, you know that when he decides he wants to do something he becomes a little obsessed.  He began researching and found that drinking out of our Nalgene bottles could be harmful because they are made from type 7 plastic.  This type of plastic may be "leaching" harmful chemicals into our water.  After some further research, he found the safest bottle to drink from is a glass bottle.  So, being the sweet husband and father that he is, he got the whole family their own glass bottle to drink from.  They are made by Life Factory, and we're definitely getting our money's worth out of them.  We may go crazy and rid our home of all plastic cups soon, who knows.  It's better to be safe than sorry, right?

Life lately, according to my iPhone.

[1] breakfast with my boys. [2] beautiful dreamer. 

[3] order of the four "hangout" via webcam. [4] mommy's little helper. 

[5] four month well check- 13lbs, 3oz, 24" long, 25th percentile.

[6] worn out post vaccinations.  [7] first cookout of the season- friends and babies.

[8] love daily routines when my mini-me is keeping me company.

Let's Talk Hair: Braids.

So, Elliott has kind of taken over my blog these days.... how about a post about hair for a change?

This spring, we have been seeing lots of braids in the salon.  I've gotta admit, braids aren't my strong suit, so I've been brushing up on braiding via YouTube home videos. Braids are a perfect solution for humid summer weather, and Arkansas might be the most humid place on the planet in mid July.  Here are a few of my favorites you might like to try:

1. The fishtail braid:

This braid will work best with longer hair and needs a bit of texture to hold.  If you have straight hair give it some curl with a curling iron and dirty it up with product.  I like this one to the side.  Pull your hair to one side and secure it at the base of your neck.  Then seperate the hair into two sections.  Hold one section, then take a small section from the outside of the other section and bring it to the one in your hand. Repeat, adding hair from one section to the other until you run out.  Secure the bottom, and then carefully cut out the top elastic band for a looser look.  You can also loosen it up by gently pulling the braid apart.

2. French braided bangs:

You can sport this look even if your hair is short.  Start with a deep side part, and work from the part to the opposite temple.  French braid about an inch wide section along your hairline and stop at the temple. Secure the braid with bobby pins and then style the rest of your hair like normal.

3. Braided halo:

This one is not so easy to do on yourself, so maybe have a friend do it for you, or practice on your friends until you get good enough to do it on yourself.  (I'll be having one of the girls at the salon do mine for me.)  If you can french braid, you can do a braided halo.  Part the hair in the middle, and start french braiding on one side, working your way around the head, ending on the opposite side.  Finish by braiding until you've used all the hair.  Wrap the part that's not attached to the head around the front of your head, and tuck it in to where you started, securing with a bobby pin.  You can tug on the braid a little to loosen it up.  If you are a fan of going a couple of days with out shampooing this look can hold though a night's sleep no problem.  It would also be a perfect poolside look.

Hope this gives you some fresh ideas for summer hair.  Practice makes perfect, so use them frequently.

Mom's Day.

Gary, Elliott and I went to Hot Springs for the weekend, where I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day. We enjoyed spending some time relaxing and preparing my parent's lake house for Memorial Day weekend.  On Saturday evening, we celebrated my Momma over a dinner of steak and potatoes.  I think she the best Mom there is (but, I may be a little partial)!  She taught me everything I know about being a Mom, and I look up to her in so many ways.  I'm so thankful God blessed me with the parents he gave me.  I often think how different my life might have been without them guiding and directing me.  I am truly blessed.

Sunday morning, my boys showered me with gifts!  I got a beautiful hydrangea, handmade (or should I say footmade) artwork from Elliott, candy, a new devotional, and a target gift card.  I think I may be a little spoiled! :) Here are a few photos from our fun weekend with family, as you can see, Elliott was the center of attention.

Hope you got to spend some time with your Momma this weekend.  And happy belated Mother's Day to all you Moms out there.

Being a first time Mom.

Today I'm linking up with Kelly from Kelly's Korner for "Show us your Life".  This week's topic is first time Mom's with children under one year old.  For anyone who is new here, my son Elliott was born in January, and I'm a wee bit obsessed with him...  He has changed my life in so many ways, so I wanted to record some of those changes in list form today.

Upon becoming a mother...

-I have gained a new appreciation for my own mother.

-I have learned to live on very little sleep.  Sleeping in is anything past 8am.

-My life revolves around when Elliott needs to eat or sleep, saving us lots of money on eating out and entertainment.  I have a new love for Netflix and take out.

-I've become obsessed with eating clean (buying organic and giving up diet drinks), detoxing my home of harmful pollutants, and drinking out of glass rather than plastic.  I'm afraid I'm going to be "that Mom".

-My tolerance for all things disgusting (poop, puke, snot, etc.) is at an all time high, in fact, I find great pleasure in using a bulb syringe, and wiping my baby's bottom.

-My patience has increased.

-I'm eating my words.  I'm sorry for all the things I said I would "never do" when I was a mother.  It's easier said then done, especially when you've never been a mother.

-I'm loving deeper than I've ever loved before, thanking God for every day I'm still here.

-I'm learning the meaning of selflessness, putting another human's needs before my own for the first time in my life.

Motherhood is the greatest gift God has ever given me.  It's challenging, and it's exhausting, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I heard a country song I grew up hearing as a little girl for the first time since becoming a parent the other day.  I've heard this song a hundred times, but this time it filled my eyes with tears.  The song is called "A love without end, amen" by George Straight.   In the song, a young boy is fearing punishment from his father after doing something wrong, but instead of punishment, his father tells him "a secret about a father's love, a secret that [his] Daddy said was just between [them].  He said 'Daddies don't just love their children every now and then, it's a love without end, amen.'"  At the end of the song, the boy, now a man, is standing at heaven's gates fearing that if God knew half the things he'd done, He'd never let him in, when somewhere from the other side he heard the words his Daddy had shared with him again.

For the first time in my life, I can understand how much God loves me, in spite of who I am.  Nothing Elliott can ever do will make me love him less.  He may break my heart some day, but I will always love him.  A parent's love for their child is truly unique in that way.  Now that I know that kind of love firsthand, I am truly experiencing how much God loves me, and truly understanding [and believing] how He can love a wretch like me.

Being a first time Mom has been life changing.  This first mother's day, I'm praising God for the gift of Elliott in our lives, and for using him to show me how much I am loved by my heavenly Father.

Elliott- 4 Months.

Elliott:

I want to freeze you at this age for a while!  You have become such an easy baby.  You are sweet and content most of the time, and still small and cuddly.  Here's what you've been up to this month:

- We don't go see Dr. Davis for another week, but I'm guessing you weigh around 14 pounds and measure between 25 and 26 inches long.

- You are an excellent sleeper!  Around 7:30 every night you start demanding that we put you to bed, so we begin our bedtime routine (bath, lotion, pjs, swaddle, and nursing with dim lights) and you are out by 8pm.  You may wake a couple of times in the night for your paci, but normally you sleep until between 5 and 6am when you wake up to nurse.  After you eat, you'll go right back to sleep and sleep until around 8:30.  We still swaddle you when you sleep, but you've started rolling on your side, so we may have to wean the swaddle this next month.

-You take two good naps most days, although you sleep less on the days you go to daycare (there's just too much to see there).  You are normally ready to go back down by 10am and you'll sleep anywhere from a half an hour to an hour and a half.  You go down for your afternoon nap around 2:30, and you sleep for two to two and a half hours most days.  You prefer napping swaddled in your swing, rather than in your crib.

-You are wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes, but have started wearing some 3-6 month things in the last week.  You are still in size 1 diapers, the size 2s look huge!

-You have been doing better going to the bathroom on your own this month, but we still need a little apple juice once in a while to keep you from getting stopped up.  I'm happy to know you are slowly growing out of this phase!

-Aside from a little juice, you are still on a diet of only breast milk, nursing exclusively when we are together, and taking a bottle of expressed breast milk when we are apart.  You've gotten very quick at nursing, taking only about 10 minutes to eat every 3 hours.

-You started daycare 3 days a week this month.  I send three 4oz. bottles with you when you go.  You are adjusting well, and even smiling at your teacher when I drop you off.

-Your favorite toy is still your hands.  You love to suck on your fingers.  You will stick them so far in your mouth that you have started gaging yourself.  We really have to keep an eye on you after you eat, or you'll spit you your meal!  You can hold toys on your own now when someone puts one in your hand.  Most things go straight to your mouth.

-You have really become attached to your paci, it's in your mouth most of the time now.  It's great for soothing you when you're upset, but I'm already getting nervous about having to take it away from you one day.  When you spit it out, you will grab it and try to put it back in your mouth, but you still haven't quite figured it out yet.

- You are finally liking tummy time!  Your neck muscles have gotten so strong, and you can push up and hold your head up when you're on your tummy.  You can roll from your back to your side, and have even rolled from your tummy to your back a couple of times.

- You discovered your voice this month, and you are really starting to jibber jabber now. We love hearing you "talk" and seeing you smile at us.  You've even started trying to laugh a little, although we haven't gotten you to really crack up yet.  We spend lots of time fake laughing with you to try and get a giggle out of you.

It's truly hard to picture life before you, Elliott.  It feels like you have always been here with us.  You make our family so complete.  At night when I rock you to sleep, I thank God for blessing us with you.  It's still hard to believe you are ours sometimes.  Our hearts are overflowing with love!  Happy four months, sweet boy!

-Momma

Life lately, according to my iPhone.

[1.] Saturday morning. [2.] Trying the middle part. [3.] Facetime with Aunt Gina. 

[4.] Date night. [5.] All smiles! [6.] Are we there yet? [7.] Cheeks! 

[8.] Dinner in Nashville. [9.] "Color class" at the salon. [10.] Tummy time.