My 6 month old!

Michael is 6 months old today! 

That's too old! Where did the time go!?

Michael is such an amazing baby and is doing so much!

This month he is 

sitting up for long periods of time until he gets distracted and throws his body on his belly so he can scoot around

scooting like a mad man, everywhere!

rolling to get places

eating everything and anything

drinking from a sippy cup or straw cup

still happy as a clam! We get comments all of the time about how happy he is!

very rarely sleeping through the night (What happened!?)

using a walker, but can only go backwards unintentionally!

sitting in his big boy high chair

making lots of sounds, especially when mad! They sound a lot more like words.

turning when we say his name, although he's been doing that for a while

He also pulled himself up once using my legs! How crazy is that!?

So blessed

I'm not going to say I'm not grateful for my life, husband, baby or family but there are days where I know I take everything for granted...

and then there are days like today, where I can't help but feel overwhelmed that I get to wake up every morning and live my life.


Here's a glimpse

<3

Yes, he is turning on the music with his head.

Today I have a 5 month old

(I've never been able to use that as a title because I've never blogged on the day! Hooray!)
And then I didn't even get to post it that day!

Michael is growing up SO fast. I know everyone says that but really I feel like in the past 5 days he's become a whole new baby!

Michael is VERY tall. He's tall enough for his 6-9 month clothes but still a little skinny, so he wears both 3-6, 6-9 and we even squeeze him in some 0-3 pants :)

His hair is getting too long in one spot (back of the top) so I'm probably going to trim it just a little this week!

Michael has rolled over twice from back to front, but still doesn't really have any desire to do so. He just cocks his head and lays on his side to look at things behind him.

He LOVES to chew on EVERYTHING.

He is definitely teething and I can see two little teeth coming up (although he's rarely fussy! Thank goodness!)

He is making so many new noises

He loves to talk, yell, blow bubbles, spit, fake cough, and whine/cry at me with his tongue out.

He's started to get to the I want mommy stage and when he wants me he lets me know by whine/crying "EH EH EH!" It's the funniest thing (although I usually let him stay with whoever he is with. I'm glad he loves me but I don't want him to only be able to be with mama)

He found his feet and LOVES to stick them in his mouth!

He can put his own binky back in his mouth.

He loves eating food cereal, squash, bananas, avocado pretty much anything. Although green beans did take him a while to eat.

He reaches for everything he wants, including the dogs and PEOPLE now :) It's adorable, unless I'm holding him and he reaches for someone else!

He has started to lift his body up when he's on his belly but usually ends up falling sideways and rolling over. He tries to scoot around and crawl, but has only managed to push himself backwards so far!

He can sit for about 10 second on his own, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. It all depends how interested he is with what is going on in front of him!

He's still a very happy baby and will smile at anyone he sees, unless they have a beard, then he looks confused!

Oh my Apple Pie!

Mmm Delicious!

Saturday we were able to drive to Willcox to go to Apple Annies!

We got to pick apples

Eat lots of great Apple flavored food!

And spend time together :)

And take home 2 delicious apple crumb pies!

We can't wait to go back in a couple weeks for the pumpkin patch and corn maze!

Michaels Blessing Day

Michael was blessed on July 17, 2011

It was a beautiful day.

We were so grateful to all our friends and family who came to support and be a part of the blessing.
(especially Ashley and James who made a slight detour on their trip to NY, Jeff, Kelly, and the girls who waited 30 hours in an airport to be able to make it And my Dad who flew in from CA!)

And thanks to my dearest hubby for manning the waffle iron and my Dad for cooking up the sausage!

Tennesee

My parents moved to Tennesee not too long ago and in August we got to visit them there for the first time!

Michael had his first plane ride and was absolutely amazing! Every time we got off of the plane people would tell us what a great baby we had (like we didn't know!) Then they would comment on how adorable he was, so many people tell us he should be on TV.
Maybe I'll look into that ;)

TN was a lot of fun!
Michael got to visit his Grandma and Grandpa.
It's so beautiful and green!
We got to stroll downtown, see the Grand Ole Opry and enjoy some live music with dinner at a small restaurant.

Nashville is my kind of place. I LOVE country music :)

We also got to take some family pictures!
My Mom and Dan are fabulous photographers :)


Next time, we will see the parthenon from Percy Jackson!

And a cute crying picture just for fun

Tales of a Young Housewife

My dear friend Lisa, who I went to high school with and went through my pregnancy with (while she was pregnant with her beautiful baby girl Aubrey!) has a fantastic blog!

She even actually updates hers more than once a month! ;)

(don't worry I'll update mine soon!)

YOU should follow her! She's doing a giveaway right now and I kinda (a lot) want to win! :)

go to http://www.talesofayounghousewife.blogspot.com/

4 Months

I can't believe my little man is now 4 months old!

His 4 month appt is tuesday and I'll fill in his stats!
He weighs 14 lbs 14 oz (49%)

He is 26.5 inches long (92%)

and his head is 43 cm (68%)

I have one LONG skinny kid :)

I feel like Michael at 3 months was a completely different baby than Michael at 4 months!

Michael rolls like a pro now

tries REALLY hard to sit up

loves sitting in his bumbo at the kitchen table

reaches for all kinds of toys

puts EVERYTHING in his mouth

chews on everything

LOVES to be read too

LOVES bath time, although he's not quite splashing yet, just kicking

Laughs at everything, even Mom now :)

FOUND his feet!!

Smiles when he sees anyone, everyone says he is the happiest baby they have ever seen!

Still sleeps like a rock ;)

Has even gotten comments about how he looks like his dad!

pays so much attention to everyone and everything around him

Talks all of the time, especially to toys and people he knows

can lift his head so high off of the ground

watches everyone around him eat

tried a lemon for the first time

flew on a plane for the first time (across the country!)

makes lots of bubbles

and he loves to look and smile at himself in the mirror!

We are going to start rice cereal this evening, which will begin a whole new adventure!

We love our little man, monkey, bug and are so grateful to have him :)

Soothing

I'm trying to encourage Michael to fall asleep on his own in his crib for naps.

I love rocking him to sleep BUT I would really like it if he could soothe himself to sleep for naps.

We have not had too much of a normal schedule lately..

but

that will change! :)

I, Chantell, will promise to do my best to do my duty to my baby and the other baby I will be caring for! (Name that oath!)

Ok, I just went and picked him up and rocked him back to sleep. I couldn't help it. And I don't feel bad about it! There's always tomorrow. :)

Who could resist?

Jumperoo!

Last weekend Josh and I trekked all the way across Tucson to buy a jumperoo for Michael

It's SO neat!

needless to say, he loves it! And he looks adorable in it!

He's getting so big...tear :(

permanent play date!

We are going to be welcoming a beautiful little girl into our home a couple days a week while her mommy and daddy work and I am so excited!

She is 2 weeks older than Michael and it's going to be great for him to have a friend around!

They can roll over together, do baby signing together, look at each other, laugh at each other, read together, take walks with me together and hopefully nap together! and many more things as they grow! :)

I'm grateful to have a degree (kind of) that is allowing me to work (kind of) out of our home! :)

3 months!

My little man is 3 months old!

Boy does time fly!

He is getting so big and learning so much!

He plays with his hands for hours

Tries to stand all of the time

Smiles with his WHOLE body

tries really hard to giggle

Everyone but mommy gets real big belly laughs out of him

rolls pretty well now but still doesn't necessarily like it

follows everyone around with his eyes

smiles so big when he sees people he knows (his uncles, grammy, and especially his daddy!)

loves his toy scout [and mommy likes the song it sings about a lion wanting milk ;) ]

loves being thrown in the air (unless he's tired!)

kicks and lifts his feet in the air (but doesn't grab them yet!)

eats like a champ

sleeps from about 9-6 every night (mommy is grateful!)

is starting to look more like his daddy (definintely tall and skinny like him!)

likes to bite on mommy's hands

puts anything he can hold into his mouth

and is the most amazing baby we could even have asked for!!

Happy 3 months beautiful boy!!

My Job

Part of my job as a "Stay at home Mommy and Wife" is to save us money.

Using Coupons.

I'm not like those people you see on TV on extreme couponing. I've never gone to the store with a $1000 dollar total and left paying $2. (although that would be neat!)

I have, however, gotten over 100 boxes of pasta, 25 boxes of cereal, 21 packages of wipes, 6 packages of tic tacs (great for 72 hours kits ya know;) ), 10 packages of rice, 20+ tubes of toothpaste, 20+ bottles of hand soap, plus other things I can't think of for FREE!

(I always mean to take pictures of my spoils when I get home but I tend to put stuff away before I remember!)

I also get other things we NEED for cheap using coupons and checking ads! We always buy lean meats when they are on sale, and eat the in season produce (and lots of it!) If you live in Tucson, check food city's ads and price match at walmart. Its FANTASTIC!

I love couponing! I feel good about saving our family money and really enjoy finding deals. I think that's the sarcastic motto of our marriage. We even got my engagement ring "on sale."

Rolling!

My little bug is now a roly poly!!

He rolled over (surprisingly!) for the first time on July 20th at exactly 11 weeks old!

He started out flat on his belly but I didn't get the camera out until he was already on his side. Watch until the end, he really does finish!

2 months old!

My newborn is now two months old!

Boy how times flies.

Michael had his two month check up today.

He weighs 12 lbs 5 oz. 65%
He is 24 inches long 79%

and his head is 40.5 cm 63%

He is growing so well and is such a happy boy! The doctor says he looks great! (but I already knew that!)

I filled out the Ages and Stages questionaire (ASQ) before the appt and it was a lot of fun to do with Michael! (I used to do the 4 year versions with my kids at the preschool so it was a fun little reminder!)

We did things like follow a toy with his eyes, play in the play gym, do some tummy time, among other things. Many of the activities were things we do every day and it was nice to know he's developmentally on track.

Some of the things he is doing at 2 months are:

smiling a TON and even laughing (but mostly in his sleep).

talking all of the time.

Wearing size 0-3 and some 3-6 month clothes. He's a long boy!

hardly ever waking up crying. I usually hear him do what we call a "mom yell." it really sounds like he is saying. Moooom. :) And when I walk in, I touch his face and he smiles at me. It makes my heart melt! :) That little boy has me wrapped around his finger!

He also isn't much of a crier at all. He'll fuss when he's hungry or wants his diaper changed, but not very often! We are so lucky!

He loves to sleep in his swing although Mom is trying to put him in his bed for naps now!

We're also getting on a pretty set schedule with morning and afternoon naps which makes it easier for Mom to get lots of stuff done (see my plug for my new blog!)

Michael also loves his play gym and his Ruger dog! They do tummy time(Michael still isn't a huge fan of tummy time) and play time together! Michael will bat and kick at his toys! He's also been holding on to toys! It was so exciting the first time I saw him holding onto a toy that he grabbed by himself! Its the little things!

He is holding his head up pretty well, the Dr says he's great, and he can sit in his bumbo chair for like 3 minutes working hard to hold that head up!

He also loves to be thrown up by his daddy! He almost laughs when he comes down from being thrown. He just loves his daddy in general and could stare and smile at him all day :)

He also cannot be still! If he is smiling he is wiggling! Hence the awkward pose in his 2 month picture :) But I LOVE it. He is such a cute wiggler!

He is also still a very loud sleeper! Grunting and making noises the whole time!

He's also become a lot more alert and will follow Mommy and Daddy with his eyes.

He will also look at Ruger now. We were trying to do one of the ASQ activities of putting a toy on the ground in front of him to see if he will look at it but Ruger was sitting on the ground with us and Michael had no interest in the toy, it was all about Ruger :) does Ruger count as a toy??

Well that's my 2 month old! He is growing so fast! It seems like yesterday we were coming home from the hospital.

The Godfreys are coming!

I don't think I've even mentioned on here that

The GODFREYS are coming!

"What?" you ask. "You are the Godfreys..." you say.

Well we are not the only ones!! ;)

Josh's mother and 3 of his brothers are moving in with us THIS friday!! They are making their way across the country right now!

Their move into our home is temporary, their move to the tucson/vail area is permanent! :)

My MIL will be looking for a job as a registered nurse and then will begin searching for or building their new home.

We are so excited to have them close to us and feel blessed to be able to provide a place for them to live while they are in transition.

Please pray that my MIL will find a job quickly, even in this difficult market.

Let the WILD RUMPUS START!

4th of July

Michael in his 4th of July outfit with his cute grin, minus the pants :)

We had a lot of fun this 4th of July!

We woke up bright and early to head to our church for a flag raising and pancake breakfast! I think this was the first time we've (I've) done anything but watch fireworks and BBQ. It was a great way to start our Independence day!

We then went to the store! (thrilling, I know)

We had some friends over and at delicious food: homemade corn dogs! (mmm, but greasy!) Super yummy potato salad made by our friends the Telfords, and watermelon! We were supposed to go swimming but the monsoon rained on our parade...pun intended ;) But we'll take it!

And we rounded out our day by watching some neighbors shooting off fireworks and trying to see the cities from our backyard but the monsoon rains blurred it out.

All in all though it was great :)

We also figured out we can set our camera on our armoir and take family pictures with the timer..although the liking isn't so great.

New blog!

I have been on a crafting/DIY spree!!

It's been a lot of fun and I'm documenting it on my crafty/hobby blog http://mommymakesit.blogspot.com/

Check it out! :)

Post baby

My dearest baby boy is 7 weeks old which means I am 7 weeks postpartum and trying to work on my body/fitness! I don't want my old body back...I want it to be better!

Before getting pregnant I lost about 30 lbs, which was fantastic and HARD.

I gained all of that PLUS some during my pregnancy...most in the last 2 weeks

Here's a little reminder of what I looked like. 40 weeks 3 days pregnant. HUGE.

As of yesterday (or today? I can't remember when I weighed myself!) I am officially at my prepregnancy weight. I lost all but 3-4 lbs in the first two weeks post baby, but those couple lbs were STUBBORN!

Even though I am at my prepregnancy weight my body does not feel the same.

I guess I am pretty close looking to my 7 week pregnant picture. still a little baby bump left.

At my 6 week check up I got the okay to start exercising and "dieting," but because I am still nursing dieting is a little different. I have to make sure to get my calories in and to drink TONS of water, even more than normal and for those of you that know me, you know I bring a bottle with me everywhere. I'm usually very hydrated. :)

Anyway, I've been working out every day using Lindsay Brin's 60 day slimdown dvds (postnatal boot camp and others!) They are AWESOME. I am SO sore all of the time, a good sore, the kind of sore that makes you feel like you really worked hard!

I've also been for the most part doing the beginning of the south beach diet. Which means no carbs (even fruit in the beginning!) or crap. Its been somewhat hard but it feels good to get rid of all my awful sugary snacky cravings.

I'll start reintroducing carbs into my diet soon, but the right amounts :)

My long term goal is to lose 40 lbs and to feel good about my body!

Wish me luck! (not that it will take luck..wish me work?)

Father's Day

We had a wonderful Father's day!

at least I hope Josh feels that way ;)

It started the day before when we went to Big 5 to pick out some new hiking boots for Daddy! He got some great ones (and has been wearing them every day since "to break them in" I think he just likes them).

Then Sunday Josh woke up to a Smoothie in bed and his cute little son smiling at him. Michael helped me make the smoothie, swear. :)

He then got to open his presents, which included matching ties for him and Michael! My friend Erin and I made them for both of our husbands and babies. She has a 4 month old little boy, we know they were destined to be best buds :)

Aren't they SO cute!? The ties and my boys :)


I am so grateful for my husband! He is an amazing Daddy! He was born to be a dad. He will definitely be Michael's favorite once I stop nursing ;) Michael already loves to play with him and cuddle "near" him, sometimes on him :) Michael is one lucky baby and I am one lucky wife to have him in our lives!

My Sleeper

Two of the questions I get most often is "How is he sleeping?" or "Are you getting any sleep?"

and

I am almost embarrassed to answer

because

Michael sleeps between 6 and 8 hours every night pretty consistently, which means I am getting sleep (for the most part, sometimes I wake up just to check on him...)

I get embarrassed because when I tell people I feel like Im bragging. I know most babies aren't sleeping through the night before they are a month old, but I am very grateful.

We were a little worried at first. It was around 2-3 weeks that he started sleeping so long. His Pedi said it's fine because he's gaining well and eating a lot during the day.

We put Michael in his crib in his room at 4 weeks because he was so loud and I kept getting up to check on all of his grunts and he would still be SOUND asleep! I put one of my shirts in there with him to sleepso that he could still smell me. Ever since then the sleeping through the night has been pretty consistent. Oh and he also has a little giraffe (thanks Chelsie!) that plays the heart beat sound for 20 minutes and I think that helps too. He is just an amazing little boy!