Liam ~ 9 months old

Well, our tiny baby is not so tiny anymore! He turned 9 months yesterday! **pats self on back for getting a picture and a blog post done on time**

This was a month of milestones!! But first, his Tonka picture:

He changes so much each month--I can't stand it!! 

Listen to what this kid accomplished this month:

1. Got TWO bottom teeth!

2. Started CRAWLING like a BOSS.

3. Started pulling up on furniture and in his crib.

4. Can feed himself PUFFS. 

5. Can halfway sign "more" when he wants more PUFFS. :)

6. Can crawl up stairs. *heart attack*

7. Got a double ear infection on his 9 month bday. O_O

8. Loves to hug his brother!

9. Went swimming in the big pool--loved it!

Still no words. 

He is still breastfed, though, he is way more distractible. His best feeds are in the middle of the night and right when he wakes up in the morning. In addition to nursing, he gets solid food several times a day. He loves pretty much all the fruits. And some veggies, if they are mixed with fruit. ;)

He is 20 pounds, 1 ounce. So big! (Cohen was 20 pounds, 15.5 ounces!) Crazy how similar they are! His thighs are so big and chunky!! PERFECTLY SQUISHY. 

He goes to bed between 8 and 9 (We aim for 8) and wakes up somewhere between 2-4am to eat. He honestly likes to go back to his bed, where he can spread out, but I'm sleepy and lazy and usually keep him with me, until he fights it too much. Then he's pretty much up by 7:30. He takes a 1-2 hour nap after he's been up for about 2 hours (unless he has an undiagnosed [yet] double ear infection, like today) and then another 2 hour nap when Cohen naps (around 2 or 3 pm.)

He's loving sound toys now, and trying to push the buttons. :) We're training him to love his lovey ;) by tucking it in with him each night and at nap time. (Cohen still very much needs his, and treats it like his baby now.. putting it for naps, feeding it) :)

Here were some outtakes:

Ummm.. I think this is the last one, Mom...

Yup, I'm outta here!

Ok, one more. :)

Buh-bye!

That elbow, though!!!

It is the perfect age right now. Perfect. Stay little, my sweet boy. Please??? We love you!

Liam ~ 8 months old

Yaaay! A week late! We've been busy, okay??  There was the Fourth.. there was work.. there was Cohen going to Granna and Pop's, then US going there.. there were home repairs..

Anyways, I took his picture today.. at 8 months and 10 days old. Oh well. At least I took it. :)

I. just. can't.

This has got to be the best age. He's figured out how to scoot backwards, so that's fun. He rolls every which way, so that's also fun. He's for real teething (for real, this time), so that's not very fun. No seriously, I can SEE a tooth coming in on the bottom, right middle. :)

He is still breast fed, and we've added in 2-3 meals of baby purees each day. He's a fan of them now. He's had everything from carrots to sweet potatoes to beets to mango to pineapple and everything in between. He also loves the puffs. (who doesn't??) He likes to drink water from a sippy cup, but he thinks it's real funny to let the water run right out of his mouth, while smiling real big. :) Silly boy. 

He wears 9 month to 12 month clothes.. although, I got him into an 18 month onesie the other day...

He shows no interest in standing up or cruising. And I'm perfectly fine with that. 

No words, lots of babble. No "ma ma" yet. Still pushing for that one. 

Oh, and he hates napping. I hate that he hates napping.

outtakes:

Funny boy!

Still likes sticking that tongue out!

I told Cohen to jump in with him and Liam immediately moved in for a hug. :)

Mr. Soon-to-be-crawling!

What baby brother does, big brother must imitate... >_<

Mama with my baby boy! Cohen is getting pretty good at snapping pictures ;)

I like to chew on everything.

Look at that boy, playing with his truck!

(remember Cohen at 8 months? started taking interest in his truck at this age too!)

(and look at Coco wearing this outfit at almost the exact same age!!)

I did the No-poo.

Y'all.. I've been thinking about it for a while now. Hearing about how shampoo is basically cancer in a bottle. I'd read on some crunchy blogs, talked with some hippie folks.. yes. I was ready to try and "No-poo" my hair.

In case you're not familiar with "no-pooing", it's the act of washing your hair with baking soda, and conditioning your hair with apple cider vinegar. Yea, you read that right. Apple. Cider. Vinegar.

I can already see your faces, thinking about the smell, but trust me. It's not that bad.

To No-poo, you'll need to gather a few things:

Baking soda and a squirt bottle (like hair dressers use)

Apple cider vinegar, a spray bottle and some essential oil if you want. I used Rosemary. 

Rosemary essential oil, when used on hair, can stimulate hair growth and help your scalp. It helps curb the smell of the ACV (apple cider vinegar). Helps.. not eliminates. :)

My hair had been a couple days with no washing.. so I was excited to try this. 

I mixed a bit of the baking soda (I just eye-balled it, but you could do 4-5 spoons full.) with warm water. Just filled to the top with water. (Leave enough space at the top to shake and mix it up)

I dunno... maybe a centimeter of soda? 

 Almost embarrassed to show this "before" picture!!

Crazy waves.. Am I an auburn?? Because I always considered myself a brunette!!

Anyways, wet hair like normal. Then squirt the baking soda-water mixture on the scalp, by dividing in sections. I read in several places to keep it to scalp as much as possible.. because it can be super drying to the hair if it sets on the length of the hair for long. I didn't focus on that much.. just squirted it on the scalp and rubbed it in. Use the whole bottle. After a few minutes, rinse it all out.

THEN.. You're ready to "condition". Before your shower, you would have mixed up your ACV and water. I did 1:4 ratio of ACV to water. Then I dropped in like... 7 drops of Rosemary EO. I wasn't really measuring. So, after the baking soda is rinsed out, spray on the ACV. I probably used 1/4 of the spray bottle. Looks like I'll get a lot of bang for my buck on that! I just sprayed it all over, dividing in sections and rubbing in. I sprayed on all lengths of hair, not just roots. 

It. Is. Strong. Smelling. Also, don't get this in your eyes. There was a minute, y'all, when I wondered if I would ever see again. O_O I don't know if it was the ACV or the EO that burned so bad, but something did!

After a few more minutes, rinse it out, and you're done. Now, my hair felt matted and heavy.. not very clean after I was done. But then, I dried it and it was soft as a baby's bottom. And kinda smooth, since I normally straighten, to get smoothness. 

After! Looking particularly red-headed here..... Smooth and shiny!

After drying. 

So, it's not like a night and day transformation, but it is clean hair with natural ingredients! And I know, because I made it myself. 

Unless it begins to affect me negatively, I'm planning on continuing this. And, no, I didn't walk around smelling like vinegar after this. The smell pretty much rinses out in the shower. :)

Charlie's Rustic Glam Bridal Shower

 A couple months ago, I had the huge honor of hosting (with my Mom) a bridal shower for our precious family friend, Charlie. When Charlie and her family moved to our church, she was probably in 3rd or 4th grade (???) and I was a sophomore or junior in high school..  Anyone remember?? ha.. That long ago. +10 years ago. I used to babysit her! Our families used to go on outings together (our parents still do..) and we still spend Christmas Eve with them every year. I love them so much.

Then Charlie grew up and met Colby, and fell in love with him. And he's just great for her. I don't think anyone could ever be opposed to their union. It's perfect. :)

So, knowing that their wedding was looming in May, I started thinking about her shower in like January, I swear. Love me a party. I decided "Rustic Glam", because I think it suits her very well.

Here were the invites:

I went with her color of mint green, and I threw in gold. :) For the Glam factor. Her other color was peach. These were from Etsy, DesignsByDee.

"In lieu of a guestbook, please address an envelope to yourself!"

because busy brides need all the help they can get, in the midst of planning a wedding!

A beautiful "R" for the new last name!

Photos of Charlie and Colby in thrifted gold frames graced the tables, with gold painted Mason jars full of gorgeous spring flowers. And all my hand stamped gold and turquoise confetti hearts. :)

The sweets table! (It was cold and rainy outside..)

Saw this idea online, and knew I wanted it! So mom and I made it happen! It was so fun figuring out the icing. And they were yummy!!

Chocolate dipped pretzels!

Golden marshmallow pops! These were addicting. And that stand took one whole afternoon to craft. :)

Obsessed with paper straws! From Etsy, ThePartyFairy.

Ahh.. loved these.. Spinach dip cups with pita chips! Guests loved these!

And some delicious chicken salad croissants! (It was after lunch, so we didn't wanna fill the people with 2nd lunch!)

My new favorite thing.. rag garlands. So elegant and whimsical. I got all these fabrics/laces at JoAnn's. I had the burlaps already.

The Mother of the Bride (on the left) and other party-goers (church family) my grandmother Ivy :), Patty.

Opening tons of great gifts!

Same face, Charlie!

Charlie and Colby with all their loot! You could stock a home with all they got! So wonderful!

Me and my girl. Love her to pieces! So happy for her!

It was a fun shower! Thanks so much to my Mom for all you did, and also to Mrs. Mallory Holladay for helping some too! It takes a village. :)

A few pics from their big day, a couple weeks ago!!

It was kinda hot!

Granna and Cohen!

Neither boy wanted to sit for the duration of the ceremony...

Mom and the mother of the Bride :)

One of the only pics of Charlie from my big camera! Tossing that bouquet!

It was too hot and kids were too crazy to carry my camera around much. :( Oh well! Got an iPhone pic with the bride!

Playtime and Teachable Moments

Sometimes when Brother Bear (Liam) is napping, Cohen and I use that as special play time. I feel guilty sometimes to both of them.. that I don't get to devote all of my time to Cohen anymore, and also, that Liam will probably not ever know what it's like to have me undivided. Such is life with multiple kiddos, I suppose! I just make sure to scoop them both up, as often as I can, and whisper how wonderful they each are, and exclaim how much I love them. If they remember only one thing later on, I want them to remember how I much I loved them. And know that they are treasured. Man, some days I just can't believe these two little souls were entrusted to me. It's overwhelming and encouraging, at the same time.

Coco goes through phases with his toys. Right now, he wants to build a train track everyday!

I gave him a few Skittles, he loved it! 

He wanted to draw a circle around his leg... I let him. You gotta let them be little sometimes, and he thought that would be cool. 

Coco: AKA Mosquito bait. :(

Then Cohen drew that on his easel. The one that looks kinda like an "x" is really a cross, kinda sideways. He said, "Look Mom! I drew Granna's church necklace!!" I said, "Yes you did!" 

Then I thought, you know what? I should tell him that it's really a cross and explain what that means! So I grabbed our Jesus Storybook Bible and turned to the story of Jesus' crucifixion. 

We read the story together and I showed him that this cross was like his drawing. He was pretty proud. I explained how Jesus died that day, with nails hammered in to his hands and feet (we acted this part out, a little) and that he did it so that we wouldn't be in trouble for our sins (mean actions and bad choices) forever. With wide eyes, he said "Ohhhh!" I said, "Jesus got rid of our sins for us, so that one day we could go to Heaven with him!" He looked up towards the sky and said, "Maybe we can build a rocket and fly to Heaven with Jesus!!" If only it were that simple, sweet boy. 

One day we will dance with Jesus in Heaven. What a day that will be!