Happy half-birthday Cash man!!

The day we drove home from Amarillo was Cash's half birthday.  My little man is SIX months old already.  I can't believe how the time has flown.

sporting his 6 month tie; I remembered this month!!

his favorite new "trick": spitting :)

This month we had a little 6 month-day birthday gathering for him when we got home so that he could see Grammy, PaPaw and Oma after his long car trip.  Mostly because they all missed him.  Oma got him a gift of some new jammies.  They were all nice and wrapped up and HE opened them all by himself!  This makes me excited because that could mean that he will totally get into Christmas!!!

He's also finally started to REALLY grab hold of his feet when he's rolling around.  I haven't been able to get a picture of this.  Still don't have a picture of bathtime yet either.  :/  

Stay tuned for another exciting weekend!  :)))

Amarillo

We went to Amarillo this past weekend for one of my best friend's (Amanda) wedding.  It was a LONG drive, but Cash did so great.  When he wasn't sleeping, he was talking or playing with toys.

On Thursday, we went to The Big Texan restaurant.  Trey wanted to get a photo of Cash there.  We also got to witness a brave soul attempt to eat the big 72 oz steak dinner.  I don't know if he accomplished it, as we left before his hour was up.

We went to the mall to kill time on Friday before the rehearsal dinner.  We also ate Rosa's, my favorite taco place for lunch on Friday.  Then went to the Tri-State Fair on Saturday before the wedding (rodeo events were in the evening, so we missed out on those :( )

Amanda had a beautiful garden wedding.  At the rehearsal, we were able to capture some sweet photos of Cash throughout the garden setting, for his 6 month memories.  His newest "trick" at 6 months is sticking out his tongue and "spitting" in a pphhhhllltttt fashion.  It's so cute....until he does it with food in his mouth.  :/  He's so exploratory and I love it.  He has the longest attention span.

looking up at Daddy...

I just love his sweet laugh!

just before the wedding..

And then of course some of the wedding:

walking with her Daddy

kissing the bride...

Mr. & Mrs. Garrett Allen

Even though we didn't get to stay that late because of the wee one, it was beautiful.  And I'm sooo glad we could make it.  Amanda, if you ever read this, you were beautiful!

Scrapping

Alright folks, I have picked up a new hobby.  I've decided to get into the whole scrapbooking craze and  scrap the funnier/sweeter moments I get of Cash/family making memories.  If Cash doesn't appreciate them one day, then I figure maybe his future wife or children might.  And I'll have fun playing in the meantime.  :)

I've been so excited to start receiving my kits and additional add-on supplies from Studio Calico and TwoPeasInABucket as well as shopping at Hobby Lobby and Michaels.  This new hobby will cost me a small fortune, I'm sure of it.  It has already, and I'm only going to insist that I NEED more stuff!  At least it will start tapering off once I have a good amount of stuff - I hope.  And of course, my monthly subscription will keep a good flow of new "stuff" coming in to play with.  

So, I started out practicing by making a few cards.  I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out considering I've never done any of this fancy scrapping stuff.  I guess I shouldn't be TOO surprised because I'm a pretty "crafty" person, but still.  I'm unsure of what half of the stuff in my new kit is for, so I'm a bit overwhelmed.  HA

I made a birthday card, a baby gift card and a lingerie shower gift card.  

I'm scrapping on our pool table.  Classy, huh?

I'm hoping I get more daring and creative and can learn to work my mom's sewing machine so that I can accent with that!  (until I can get my own, of course - but by then, I'll be so used to hers I won't want to learn another new one I'm afraid :/ )  But for now, I'll just be proud of the cards I've made!  

Another Milestone

Well, Cash is no longer a "supported sitter."  He sat all by himself tonight for the first time!!  He fell over after a bit, but he was able to do it for a while and actually play with some toys.  I'm so proud of him!

sitting and playing peacefully, all on his own!

Boom.  

Also, I've got Cash entered into the Gerber generation photo search.  You can vote for him once a day and *IF* he wins his milestone category (supported sitter - at the time of entry) then he would win a $10,000 college bond.  So PLEASE vote!  And ask your friends to vote.  :)  Thanks!
https://nestle.promotions.com/gerberps3/mobiledetail.do?entry_id=216467

Mommy Must Haves

Ok, now that I've got some friends having baby's asking for some tips and I'm experiencing more new things as a first time mommy, I've decided to share some of my "mommy must haves" that I can't live without and feel you shouldn't either.

1) Mylicon (or now known as gas relief drops).  I put ONE drop in every single bottle.  This helps reduce gas bubbles before they happen, therefore causing less spit-up and need for burps/intestinal gas.  And by doing this, I don't have to let the bottle sit and wait for the bubbles from shaking it up to go down.  I can feed right away because anti-gas drop is there to "eat" the bubbles.  

I just use off-brand, but this is one brand that's available.

2)  Video Monitors.  These are fantastic because we don't have to go INTO his room to check on him.  We just click on the screen to take a peek and then we can shut it back off and wait for sound.

This is the exact ones we have, by Summer.  The camera can mount on the wall or set on a table top and it can be remote controlled by the handset that you carry.  It also has a zoom function and "night vision."

3)  Gripe Water.  This is great for colic and hiccups.  We needed it initially to relieve Cash's constipation, but it turned out that his case needed prescription strength.  However, we still use(d) the gripe water for hiccups.  Works like a charm at the first sign every time.  I don't use it every time, but especially the violent cases.  It's a sweet, ginger flavor and he loves it.

Mommy's Bliss is the best brand and it's best found at WalGreens.

4) Dunstan Baby Language.  Ok, y'all, if you don't read/watch/listen to anything else, watch this.  It's a quick 30 minute 2-disc DVD that teaches you how to interpret your baby's cries.  It shows you examples of each type of cry and what they each mean.  When I was told about it, I put it off for 6 weeks and it was the worst thing I could have done, because that was 6 weeks worth of crying I missed out of understanding.  But I thought it was hoakie when I was told about it.  Finally, I broke down and watched it and it was the BEST thing we ever did.  I watched it THREE times.  It's incredible how right it is.

available at Amazon.com, like $16.  WATCH it!

5)  aden + anais blankets.  These are great because they are so versatile.  They are sweet, soft and just cuddly.  & they have adorable patterns on them!  We have about 8 of them and they all get used.  LOVE.

6)  NoseFrida.  People kept telling me "don't leave the hospital without getting a nose sucker!!  Their's are the best and you can't get them anywhere else!"  Lies.  Their's suck.  (not literally)  Those people have OBVIOUSLY never had a NoseFrida.  This puppy can suck. some. snot.  Well, you have to suck it, but it gives you some great tools to do so!  The idea behind it is kinda gross, but the concept is brilliant!

You literally put the blue part in baby's nose and put the red thing in your mouth and suck.  But boy, does it work.  And since it's clear, you get to SEE the fruits of your labor!  Then you wash it out and start anew.  (there is a filter in there to keep from sucking snot down your mouth).

I hope this is helpful for more of you new mommy's out there.  And anyone else, feel free to add!

The Sand & Surf of Galveston

This past weekend we all packed up and headed out to the sandy shores of Galveston.  Trey's grandparents have a timeshare with SilverLeaf Resorts and, for some reason, choose to use it in Galveston.  Every year.  Of all the lovely places and beaches across the country, we go there.  Oh well, it's convenient.  At any rate, we took Monday off work so that we could enjoy an extended weekend with family, and even though we got some rain, it still ended up being a beautiful weekend to be there.

The waves were rolling in kinda harsh so we had to be extremely careful with Cash by the water's edge.  And we couldn't really wade out with him, because 1) the waves were so rough, but also 2) the tide/undertoe was pretty bad.  We didn't want to take any chances.  Cash really enjoyed sitting on the edge of the water digging his hands into the wet sand...slipping handfuls of sand into his mouth when he could sneak it in.  It was always obvious when he got a splash of saltwater on his lips as he was licking them with a smile.

During Cash's first dip into the ocean.

Trey and Kaila built a lava castle.

whhhoooooooooaaaaa!!  (with Aunt Amy)

Saturday, Amy kept talking about "ghost crab hunting".  I thought it was something that she was just going to take Kaila and Alexia (K's friend) to do as a fun "kid thing".  When I asked what it was she explained that I was deprived as a child and that she would stay in with Cash so that I could go.  I said that I didn't want to lead this mission not knowing what it was.  Everyone laughed at me.  :(  They "duh-ed" me and said that EVERYONE was going.  That you take flashlights out on the beach after dark and "hunt" for crabs.  Once spotted, they freeze under the lights.  Then dart off really quick, hence "ghost" crabs.  It was like they were never there.  Well, Oscar (Amy's hubby) and I decided that we were going to try and catch them.  This made the girls FREAK out and shriek in excitement.  It was hilarious.  We caught at least 4, some more than once as they kept escaping.

our little crab family

Sunday, Alexia and Kaila had a blast building sand castles and playing with hermit crabs!

a very special picture of Cash's greats doing something they love the most.  

Monday, before leaving to head home, we did a little shopping on the strand and grabbed a bite to eat.  In all, we had a great and relaxing time.  :)

5 months

Cash is now 5 months old!  I still haven't taken his photo with his little tie on.  However, I've taken plenty of photos right at 5 months.  For shame, for shame.

So, some 5 month milestones are:

• he found his feet here
• he found his tongue (no pics or video yet) and LOVES to stick it out
• he's rolling over quite often now
• he's trying VERY hard to sit up on his own and he can do it in the corner of the couch or if he's sitting between your legs. 
• peek a boo.  He can't get enough of it.  He tries to play it by himself if no one will play with him. He actually started this just after he turned 4 months.  {It all started with his satin-y monkey woobie, which his Aunt Danielle/cousin Aubrey gave him.  I'd go so far as to say it's his favorite toy.  He has a thing about soft textures and loves to just feel it because it's a soft fleecy feel on one side and satin on the other.  He puts it on his face and pulls it off.  Over and over.  Just to feel the softness of it.  Then he rubs his fingers on it gently as he's getting sleepy.}
• he loves to read books and turn the pages
• as far as foods, if it's a shade of orange, he likes it.  Anything else is pretty much a no-go.  Except pears.  He tolerates those.  And he's definitely allergic to apples.  His favorite is sweet potatoes.  He says "mmmm, mmm, mmmm, mm, mmmmmmm" (in all of his different voice inflections) the whole time he's eating if the meal is sweet potatoes.  It's adorable.
• he still HATES his crib and insists on his swing.  Y'all, the motor is broken and it won't swing anymore and he STILL wants to be in that swing.  I've emailed the company about getting it replaced because it's still under warranty.  (I neglected to tell them that it's used for 12 hours a day/7 days a week -- they're built for that, right?!)
• he still loves bath time and has been promoted to the big boy bath tub - no more kitchen sink baths because all he does is SPLASH!!!  The kitchen becomes a war zone during bath time! (and I STILL have NO pics of bath time :/  and this makes me sad)

this is as good as it's gonna get for "5 months" this month, I think.  Look at those chunky legs!!  

He's only intrigued by them when they are in the footie jammies.  The fact that his feet move the fabric independently is what makes him so mesmerized.  When we free his feet, he no longer cares about them.  It's like, "oh, those things - psssh."

Stay tuned: coming up - Cash's first beach trip!