The Good Life

When I was preparing my "baby registry" as a Mom-to-be, I made sure I had everything I "needed" on the list. I had cute decorations for the nursery, receiving blankets, adorable clothes, bottles, diapers and much more stuff. What I didn't realize is that only a handful of those things are actually necessary and there are loads of other things that I didn't even know I was going to need, therefore never made the "registry". Sorry if this next part of my post is T.M.I. for men - please skip to the next paragraph :-) During the first few days at home - as a post-baby woman - there were a lot of feminine products that I needed. I was so worried about getting everything the baby needed, that I didn't even think about what I was going to need for myself (thank goodness for the nurses on the OB floor who are paid to know these things and thank goodness they sent some of those products home with me)! So my advice to any first time Mom-to-be's ou...

Ever since I (well, Matt and I together) made the decision to stay at home with Colton, I haven't regretted the decision a single day. Don't get me wrong, there are moments I want to pull my hair out, but still no regrets. I thought I was ready to be a stay at home Mom. I mean, how hard can it be after working a 9 to 5 job? I can sleep in if I want to, I can wear my PJs until noon if I want to, I can stay up late if I want to, I can do whatever I want to on MY schedule. Right? Wrong. I want to sleep in, but there is no "sleeping in", it's just called "sleeping when I get the chance" and I actually want to get dressed before noon, but that doesn't always happen. I consider it a successful morning if I have a bra on before 9am. Yes, I realize that there are Moms out there working full-time jobs and being a full-time Mommy, so I don't expect any sympathy. But I will say that a stay-at-home Mom gives me no "break" from Colton and sometime...

Colton has conquered Pears, Bananas and Cereal and has now moved on to add Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes to the list of foods he likes. Okay, so he just sort of tolerates the cereal but he actually likes the others :-) So many health care professionals have said "wait until their 5 or 6 months old before feeding them solids" while others have said "if he's hungry feed him". If Colton is ready for solids at 3 and 1/2 months (which he was) then he's going to try solids. I'm so proud and happy for a couple of reasons. First of all, I'm so excited that he likes fruits and veggies and he's not showing any sign of allergies but I'm proud because those veggies came home-grown from Shelton Laurel! With the help of my Baby Brezza One Step Baby Food Maker , I'm able to take natural fruits and vegetables and make yummy foods for Colton. I took Mimi's (my mom) canned green beans, rinsed them, put them in the Baby Brezza, steamed them and blend...

I grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and when I say mountains, I mean right in the middle of them! If you've never experienced the beauty of Shelton Laurel, I highly recommend that you take a day (or two, depending on where you live) and drive back in "our" holler. Yes, we play banjo music, but no, it's not like "Deliverance"! If you do show up, just plan on staying a while because my Papaw is going to want to show you his blueberry bushes, garden and probably take you for a little walk up the creek! Anyway, the mountains will always be home to me. I guess it's because of where I grew up that I have such a love for being outside. We didn't have video games, an IPAD, cell phones or satellite TV - heck we didn't even have antenna TV - but we did have a big yard, a pond, a creek and an awesome playhouse! My sister and I would spend every minute we could outside. We built "secret" forts on the creek bank, we fished for cr...

While raising a son, I worry about injuries. I've always "heard" that boys get hurt more than girls. Statistics show that most boys have higher activity levels and sometimes behave more impulsively than girls and these factors have been related to increased injury rates in boys. There is speculation that differential socialization of sons and daughters may play a role in boys being injured more often than girls. One example, parents are less likely to restrain the exploratory behavior of boys than girls, even if the boy's behavior could cause injury. Another example, boys are allowed to travel further from home than same-age girls and are given more opportunities to play alone, which results in boys receiving less direct supervision than girls. Many factors have been considered in explaining why boys take more risks and are injured more often than girls. I think that most parents look at daughters as "delicate flowers" that need protected and follow the ...

When I was in the hospital, having Colton, I was excited about so many things...but one thing I was really excited about was the hospital mug. You know the one I'm talking about? The big plastic mug that has the big straw and keep drinks really cold? Yeah, that one! I had never been a patient in a hospital before, but I knew that patients got "the mug" and I was finally getting one. Yes, I know that it seems very silly to be excited about something so small when you're in the hospital to have a baby, but I don't care...I was excited. Of course during the labor/delivery, all I was allowed were ice chips and I was so busy having a baby that I didn't even think about the mug. Once I was moved to my postpartum room, they brought it to me, my very own hospital mug! I drank out of it every day and loved every minute of it. The day came for us to pack up and head home. We got Colton situated in the car seat, gathered up all our stuff and I asked the nurse if she wo...

This week kinda seems like a blur. Part of the problem is the fact that although our child is now eating "big boy food", he has now gone back to sleeping "little boy hours" (only about 2 to 4 hour stretches at a time during the night, if that). I was so spoiled by the 6 to 7 hour nights so now I'm, once again, a walking zombie. I'm not sure what has caused this change in his sleep pattern but I'm really hoping it's just a short spell and we go back to (what I thought was) normal. Mom and I decided to get rid of some "clutter" and have a yard sale. On Thursday and Friday, we set up shop out at my Dad's sawmill from 8:00 in the morning until about 5:00 in the evening. Thursday wasn't too bad since it was a last minute decision, we didn't advertise the sale and we had great weather. I was able to have Colton out with us and he LOVES to be outside. A storm came through on Thursday night and brought a cold front with it so Friday w...

I guess I should start by admitting that I took a couple of days off (okay, 3 days) from my "30 Day Shred". One of the days was an intentional "rest day" but the other 2 just flew by without me even knowing what happened and it kinda tossed me off the wagon (sorry excuse, I know)! Needless to say, today I got back on the wagon and even ran a mile for some extra cardio. :-) I haven't seen a huge change in the way I look but I am feeling improvement physically, which was the goal. I feel like it's worth my time to finish out my 30 days so I will keep ya posted! In Colton news, he now weighs 15.5 pounds and is 25" long. He has added pears and bananas to his menu and he seems to LOVE it. I never knew something could bring so much joy to my life, but he sure does fill my life full of it (joy). I love to watch him learn and explore new things. As we have added some solid food to his diet, he has discovered how his tongue works and it's absolutely adorab...

It's Saturday, and a beautiful one. I absolutely love weekends. Even though I don't work a Monday-Friday "job" anymore, Saturdays are still my favorite. I feel like I have an excuse to wear my pajamas until noon if I want to...and Matt is home (okay, maybe that's the real reason I love Saturdays)! After I finish addressing envelopes for my sister-in-law's baby shower invitations (yep, I'm going to be an aunt again...hooray), I'm looking forward to getting out and enjoying some sunshine today :-) I keep talking about how fast Colton is growing and I am constantly watching him grow out of clothes and move up to the next diaper size (as of yesterday is now wearing size 2), but yesterday he ate cereal out of a spoon! Talk about mixed emotions, wow. Seeing him sitting up in his Bumbo Seat ( Bumbo International | For the love of children ) with a bib on, eating out of a spoon, looking like such a big boy...that's really crazy. I have read so many diff...

I'm not sure how this didn't get posted on Easter - but it didn't! So, here it is now... "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" - John 3:16 Happy Easter!!! We had a great weekend. Matt got off work a little early on Friday which means he got to come home earlier! After a nice little dinner and getting Colton fed, bathed and in bed, we got to enjoy a nice night of lounging and watching basketball. I have missed my husband. My sister had to work today (boo) so on Saturday, we met her, my parents and my Mamaw and Papaw Bishop in Asheville for Easter dinner at O'Charley's . Asheville is pretty close to half way between Charlotte and Greeneville, so it makes it a nice meeting place :-) I hadn't been to O'Charley's in a long time but the food was great - oh yeah, so was the dessert brownie (yum). Auntie Denise brought Colton an adorable soc...

My sweet boy turned 3 months old today! He had a good morning and woke up a pretty happy baby (I was able to get some cute pictures) but overall, he had a pretty rough day. Fussy, fussy, fussy. I'm not sure if he's starting to get some teeth coming in or what, but there are a lot of signs/symptoms pointing in that direction. Other than the fussy spell today, he has been a happy and healthy baby! I'm amazed at how much he learns and changes each day. I'll keep you updated on the teeth situation... In other news - today is day 3 of my 30 day challenge. Day 1 felt great, I was proud of myself for doing the level 2 workout with 5 lb weights, being optimistic and ready for the challenge....blah, blah, blah. Day 2, I woke up sore but got back at it and chose level 1 workout (with 5 lb weights) and did the entire thing without any breaks. I even added a little extra cardio yesterday with a run on the treadmill. Today, I feel like I got hit with a baseball bat on every i...

Today was the start of my "30 Day Shred" challenge. I am going to commit to 30 days and see if it makes a difference. I'm not as concerned with the way I look as I am with the way I feel (of course it doesn't hurt to tighten up some areas since swim suit season is quickly approaching). Colton is growing every day and lifting him in and out of the car seat (not to mention carrying the car seat with him in it), getting him in and out of his bouncy seat and up and out of his bed and getting down on the floor for "tummy time", getting him in and out of the bath and making numerous trips up and down the stairs each day all takes some physical strength...and I can tell that I'm lacking some endurance! I feel like blogging about my 30 day challenge will be a motivation for me and will help hold me accountable. This way if I do it, I can share my excitement and if I fail at it, I will have to "fess up". Honestly, I'm amazed at how much my body ha...