6 months

I can't even believe my little boy is already six months!! I am sure any mother will understand the feelings that come with hitting this milestone age. In only another six months he will already be a year old... probably walking, and as one year passes so quickly, the next twenty will too I am sure. Life is so busy these days. Especially getting ready for Christmas and making plans with family and friends. It seems my calendar is always full and if I forget to write anything on it, I WILL forget with everything else going on. We have been busy with Christmas parties-two more this weekend.. and we are so excited for Ty's first Christmas. 

So at six months Ty is

-pretty close to crawling. he really made some progress last night(I tried to upload a video and it wouldn't let me so I will on Facebook)

-still only on the bottle. We put rice cereal in his bottle to thicken it up a bit. I try to give him rice cereal on a spoon but he still has no idea what he should be doing... We'll try again in a week or so.

-teething.. He has his two bottom teeth and I am SURE he has more teeth coming through. He has this one toy(I tried to also upload a video of it) that he is a bit obsessed with and if he has it and someone takes it away or he drops it, he has a fit!!

-loves to make noises.. specifically screaming!

-will now play in his crib when he wakes up in the morning instead of crying for me to come get him.

-love to scream when he sees other babies or younger kids. He even scared a baby and it started crying because he was screaming happily. 

We have been taking tons of photos, so I tried to narrow them down in this post, and will post lots more on Facebook. 

At a Christmas party my mom and I hosted this year! 

Ty and cousin Madison with Grandma Smith, and Aunt Becky 

Breanne, Michael, and Michael's shoulder buddy. 

Ty with Grandpa Mendenhall. So cute!!

Michael has a patient he has become close with. He made this straw broom for Michael(it's one of his patient's hobbies). And let me tell you, this thing is heavy!! And waaay better quality than you could buy anywhere. Michael is so excited to have it and that it was made for him! 

Went to Babb, Montana to get some Christmas packages... Here is Ty waiting for Dad to come back to the car.

Santa Baby!!

Cassandra is a Nanny for two little kids so we often get together with them (Becky is also a nanny but she wasn't working this day, although she did come with Madison). We made sugar cookies with them. They are so much fun!

I love this cooler weather ONLY because I get to bundle up Ty and he is just the CUTEST!!

 Ty met Santa!! I don't think he cared or even realized that he was being held by a white bearded stranger. So funny.

Ty got his first tooth (his bottom right)! It's funny how a tooth coming through can make a mother so excited! It feels way to early for our Ty boy to be getting teeth now!! Ty has started getting up on his hands and knees, and his hands and feet-such a strong little boy. He even tries to crawl, but isn't really able to move himself. He hasn't quite figured out what he needs to do. 

We are getting ready for Christmas. I just set up the tree this past weekend (ours is only 3.5 feet tall), and some lights in the windows. I have a lot of my Christmas shopping done as well!! Yessss!! I just want to enjoy December without stressing! We have 7 Parties to go to in December, but won't be able to make them all because some are the same night. So it will be a busy month. We are so excited for Ty's first Christmas. He will probably be more interested in the wrapping paper than the gifts he receives. 

This week is busy.. Tonight we are going on a double date with some new friends!! We are pretty excited for that.. and then we have some Christmas concerts, I have a dentist appointment, we have a Mo-vember party that Michael's work is doing, and then a Christmas party on Saturday that my mom and I throw every year for our family!! 

I'll leave ya with a photo of my and my little boy... I just love to kiss his squishy cheeks!!!

Ohhh Pinterest. It's what everyone is talking about these days, including me. I have enjoyed "pinning" many things on there. Like I said, I've been trying to actually put my pinning to good use, rather than just wasting hours looking. I have already tried quite a few recipes, and I recently made this to go in Ty's room. I didn't find exactly this on Pinterest, but got the idea from there. It's not super crafty or anything but I really enjoyed making it (pretty much just painting and gluing) and I love that it matches Ty's room color scheme.

 You will probably remember, but my really good friend Nicole painted these owls for Ty's room, which match a blanket I made for Ty. Check out her FB group- Just For Fun!

And to leave you with a photo of our little Ty boy... Just about to head to church. He looked so handsome with his little tie. He is just sooo mellow in this photo!

veggies and an update

I've always hated most vegetables! The only ones I would eat were cucumber, potatoes, corn, lettuce... And a few others as long as they weren't cooked. This summer was great for me... Yes, I have tried lots of vegetables before, but I think as I have grown older, I have grown to like many foods. I started eating avocado a year or so ago, and this summer I tried SO many new fresh veggies and I really enjoy a lot of them now... spaghetti squash(YUM), fresh green beans, zucchini, another type of squash, sweet potato(in fry form... still working on them not fried), onion, cooked carrots(just barely had a few, didn't love them), and asparagus. My mother probably will not believe this but it's true. Ah, even just listing them makes me excited for summer next year... So now when I tell Ty to eat his veggies-someday- he can't ask my why I'm not eating them either!!

A little update- we have been SUPER busy! I feel like I always have some appointment to go to. Michael has taken a little professional development course and is studying for his exam this Friday (and I thought I was done with him being a student). We had Michael's sister, Jody, come visit for almost a week and we got to spend lots of time with her. I have started doing hair from home. I really missed doing cuts and colors so I'm glad to be back at it (obviously not full time.. just a couple times a week). Michael has had a film photography hobby for over a year now, and he is starting to get really good!! It's just a hobby for now, but you never know. I love to see the photos once they have been developed and he really enjoys the look of film photos. He also just put his motorcycle away for the winter, so now he will be driving the old Plymouth to work everyday... We hope Elmer (his car) makes it through the winter.

Ty is SO much fun and seems to be growing much too fast! He is grabbing for things now and rolling around quite a bit. He is always trying to sit up and if he is in semi-reclined position he can muscle himself to sitting position, but can't sit, so he falls forward, folding himself in half. He loves to play around and be silly by squealing. Today he is 5 months and I can't believe how much time has already passed.

There is absolutely nothing like hearing the giggle of your child for the very first time. I came home one day and Michael had his film camera out, trying to take a photo of Ty. So I jump in to try to get him to smile, and this photo was taken the moment we heard his first laugh. It was such a special moment, it even brought tears to my eyes. I kept replaying his laugh in my mind for days. It's such a neat experience to be able to see these firsts for our little Ty. We look forward to the MANY giggles we will hear in the years to come. 

Pinterest

I tried to resist but curiosity finally got the best of me... I've joined pinterest, and I've been having a great time find all sorts of food to make and DIY projects. So many people say they waste so much time on there, but I am determined to make use of my wasted time. I've made a goal to do at least one thing on pinterest every month. Today I started by making these delicious Santa Fe Chicken Salad Wraps.

Thank you Pinterest. I am happy because of the beautiful pictures and ideas I get to pour myself over, and Husband is happy because he gets to try my creations and soon our home won't be so plain.

Don't forget to check out my other post below. 

Sorry, it's been a while. I bought Good Night Sleep Tight like a lot of you recommended, and still we haven't improved Ty's sleeping habits. Some nights are a lot worse than others, and I pretty much always need a nap to feel normal. I also think Ty has started teething because he is sooo fussy, has started drolling like crazy, chews on his fingers all the time (and can sometimes get all 10 in at once), and has red red cheeks. Aside from bad sleep habits and teething, he is a happy baby. He has started to giggle a little bit more and we are always trying to make him smile and hoping we can hear a laugh. He has started to roll over from back to front, and sometimes his arm gets stuck underneath him. Now we will have to pay extra close attention to where we put him. It's so sad to think he is no longer my little newborn. He is now a chubby bald headed baby. hahaa!! He had the WORST hair pattern because of hair loss (people were saying he had a friar tuck hairline... poor kid). So we shaved it, and trust me, it looks MUCH better!!

Thanksgiving was great! We have so much family around we were able to have 3 thanksgiving dinners! It was a delicious weekend, and it was fun to spend time with family.

Shikari, Me, and Breanne

My sleeping boy and Aunt Cassandra

Dinner #1 at my Moms.

After dinner #2 at my Dads.

Swingggging. Poor Dani.

Me and my VERY handsome husband. 

After dinner #3 at Michael's parents we went on a walk. Ty looks like quite the chunker here,

Kisses for Ty from cousin Madison... Or maybe just a nice bite on the ear will do. 

We took Ty swimming for the first time as well. He loved it and was super relaxed!

no sleep

Okay fellow mothers...

Ty used to nap for a few hours, now his naps are 30 minutes tops!! Ty used to only get up once in the night and now we are up to 4-5 times every night... Big change. He always seems hungry so I feed him for about 2 minutes and he is out. Then I put him back in his crib, and he wakes up and cries, I pick him up to feed him and he falls asleep. So I put him in his crib and he wakes up and so on... I know hes not that hungry, he justs likes to be soothed back to sleep... but he doesn't keep a soother in. So any ideas or thoughts are welcomed... on this situation AND on sleep training (books you've liked, methods that have worked, anything).

Thanks!

We've just been busy busy busy. We are really trying to enjoy these last few months of non-snow weather! Ugh, I am soo not ready for any cold weather yet. 

Went to visit Michael at work and was able to show Ty off a bit.

Me and my boyyy, and notice his cute little owl pictures!! My really good friend Nicole painted them
and they match his blanket I made, and we just love them.
(There is one more but it's behind my head)

Cutest little jailbird ever! Aha, check out his super bored face and his slightly smaller left eye.

Making a pit stop for a picnic at the temple grounds on our way to Waterton (Ty's 4th trip there, wow!!)

Ty enjoying grass. He loves the outdoors. 

Ask anyone that knows Ty and they can tell you how much he loves looking up!!
Door frames, roofs, trees, windows... he loves it.

Ty in his little Safari hat. LOVE those lips and that little nose,

Naptime

Talking with Dad. They are buds.

Ty has been busy learning that his hands taste just about as good as milk does. He is always sucking on them and it's actually super cute. The other night he woke me up at 2am just by sucking and he was even sleeping. It was so loud. haha

That's all for now!

Ty 2 1/2 months

Ty is now 2 1/2 months old. I am already looking back on photos of when he was born and missing the newborn stage, however, it is SO exciting to have him doing new things. Ty is
-smiling lots and lots
-cooing
-holding his head up almost perfectly(he is such a strong boy)
- just starting to notice his hands
-sucking on his hands when he is hungry
-locking his knees and is able to stand up with someone holding his hands to balance him. He is always SO happy and proud when he does this. He must love it!
-loving being outdoors
-loving to stick his tongue out lots
-loving bathtime and is always his happiest and most talkative after
-starting to kick his arms and legs when he is super happy
-hates and is very fussy when he is hot or sweaty
-the cutest little boy we know.

We are loving being parents and are trying to enjoy all these little stages but look forward to him learning to do lots more!

Ty and Michael (He's such a proud Dad!!!)

Me and my boy..

Ty and Uncle Devin. Devin recently met Ty for the very first time!

Ty smiling and cooing while watching the Hypnotist show at Whoop Up Days

Enjoying some fair food!

In love

I am seriously in love. I am often overwhelmed by the love I have for this little boy. He is such a good boy and he has brought SO much happiness into our lives. Since it has been such a nice warm summer, Ty has lived either in just his diaper at home or onesies. So to put him in this little outfit just melted my heart. He looks like such a little boy. Thanks Lauren for the shirt. Ty loves it!!

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit this weekend on their yearly road trip up from Arizona. It was so good to see them and visit. Here are a couple photos from our dinner out.

Parents and Kids

ABCs

A. age :: twenty three

B. bed size :: queen

C. chore you hate :: cleaning the bathroom

D. dogs :: no thanks :)

E. essential start to your day :: smiles from my little boy

F. favorite color :: right now, green

G. gold or silver :: silver

H. height :: five foot seven

I. instruments you play :: piano

J. job title :: hairstylist and mom

K. kids :: Ty

L. live :: Lethbridge Alberta

M. maiden name :: Parker

N. nicknames :: Ames

O. overnight hospital stays :: apprendix removal, having baby Ty

P. pet peeve :: bad drivers

Q. quote :: why do i do what i do when i know what i know

R. righty or lefty :: righty

S. siblings :: Becky, Cassandra, Breanne and Bradley

T. time you wake up :: whenever Ty does (usually 8am)

U. university attended :: LA school of hair design (not a university)

V. vegetables you dislike: lots, but most of all cooked broccoli, cauliflower

W. what makes you run late :: Ty

X. x-rays you’ve had :: dental xrays

Y. yummy food :: hamburgers, ice cream, corn on the cob (my fav right now)

Z. zoo animal favorite :: zebras, elephants, and giraffes

Recently we have been able to really enjoy this wonderful summer weather. We have been so lucky with how nice it has been this year and we are trying to be outside enjoying the weather as much as we can! I thought having a new baby this summer would limit me, but I feel we have been able to do most of the things we typically do each summer... it just takes a lot of time and preparation and planning to do them. Here are some photos...

A walk around Henderson one evening. SO beautiful out. 

Ty all packed up to go home after visiting Grandma and Grandpa Mendenhall.

Golfing!

Ty and Dad's golf ball

I have started a stroller class and I go twice a week at Henderson with some other Moms. It was my first day today and boy did I get a workout. I am already sore!! I am excited to get into shape and maybe lose the last of this pregnancy weight! Also the next three Fridays there is a Free Yoga and Pilates class at Henderson for Moms! If you want to come with me and my sister, let me know!