a busy sunday

For the last three weeks we have just been going to ABF. I've been nursing Pearson right before we go to church and it works out perfectly for me to nurse him right after we get home from ABF.  

Our ABF all goes to lunch together after the Worship Service on the last Sunday of each month.  Since this Sunday was "Last Sunday Lunch" we decided this week would be a good week to attempt it all......ABF, Worship Service, and Lunch.

Pearson did great during ABF.  He was awake during the beginning but got lots of loving from Cheryl.  He eventually fell asleep in my arms, so I actually got to listen to our entire lesson.  

After ABF, Matt went and got us a back seat in the sanctuary while I went to the nursery to nurse him.  They have a great little room with rockers and a changing table where nursing Moms can feed their babies.  I got to talk to another really sweet Mom that was in there with her little girl that is just 6 days younger than Pearson.  I can't wait to get involved with activities at the church with other Moms and babies!!  

We missed all of the music but made it just to the sanctuary just in time to hear the message.  Right in the middle of the message Pearson let out some really loud toots.  A few seconds later Matt let me know that he could smell him.  HA!!  I ended up having to go change him since he was pretty stinky.  I decided it was best for us to watch the rest of the message out in the hallway on one of the TV's.  

After church we all headed to the new Rudy's!! It was crazy busy, but SO good!! Pearson got passed around while I ate.  He loved it!!

I would say it was a pretty successful morning/afternoon at church & with friends. When we got home I fed Pearson and we both crashed!!

bath time

My sweet boy loves his bath time.  He can be pretty fussy in the evenings, but when I take his clothes off and get him all ready for a bath he totally calms down.  

I just love my little baby his diaper. It's just too cute!

Pearson is still being stingy with his smiles, but I'm pretty sure when he starts smiling that he'll smile during bath time. 

He just lays in the bathtub so content.  It doesn't bother him one bit to be washed.  

The only part of his bath time that he doesn't like is when I move him from the bathtub to his towel.  He starts to cry right when I lay him on his towel, but he quickly stops as soon as I wrap him all up.  

Such a sweet boy.

me & my boy

Me & my boy were busy this week.  I was more of an "On the Go Mom" rather than a "Stay at Home Mom"

We took a trip to Target, Chick-fil-A & Sprouts.

We went to dinner with my family and went to the hospital to meet Miss Olivia.

We went to lunch with my Mom, Nonnie and my cousins.

We went shopping with my Mom

I had fun being out and about all week, but I'm hoping to be more of a "Stay at Home Mom" next week and spend lots of time with my sweet little boy.  

*smile*

On Wednesday morning after I fed Pearson, we were "talking" and he smiled at me for the first time.  All I had near me was my iPhone so I snapped a picture.  Unfortunately, it was dark and I was moving so I didn't get the greatest picture.  But you can still see his sweet smile.  

I quickly texted it to Matt because I was such a proud Mommy!! 

I waited to post it here though because I was determined to get a better picture, but now the little stinker won't smile again, so this picture will have to do for now.

calling all mommies: the crib

This week's topic is.....

THE CRIB

For the first four weeks of Pearson's life he slept in the Pack N Play in our bedroom.  My pediatrician said I could let him go up to 5 hours in between feeding at night if he would sleep that long.  He would never actually go 5 hours though.  Pearson was only sleeping 3 1/2-4 hours because the second he started grunting I would get him out of his Pack N Play.  I would always get him out as soon as I hear him because I didn't want to wake up Matt.  He was never totally awake, but by the time I changed his diaper he would have woken up and was ready to eat.  

Last week we moved him out into the living room and he is now sleeping 5 hours in between feedings.  Yay!!  We like to sleep with the door closed because it keeps our room colder, but since we've moved him out we have had to keep the door open.  Problem is....I can't really hear him as well in the living room even with our door open.  Matt has to wake me up sometimes because he hears him crying before I do, which defeats the purpose of not waking up Matt.  I know it's not really a big deal if Matt wakes up, but I hate for him to have a bad nights rest since he has to go to work the next day.  I can rest all day if we have a terrible day.....he can't. 

I'm ready to move him to the crib, but I will obviously not be able to hear him cry if I can't even hear him in the living room.  I have a baby monitor, but won't that just be like he's in the room since I'll be able to hear every move and grunt.  As soon as I hear him grunting, I'll want to get up and get him even though he's not totally awake because I don't want to wake up Matt.  And if I continue to let him grunt and make noises before he's actually awake, I won't be able to go back to sleep.  So I might as well get up and feed him, but I want him to sleep as long as he can between feedings.  

So my question is....

When did you transition to the crib?

How did you transition to the crib?

Do you use a baby monitor?

What kind of baby monitor do you have? Do you like it?

Do you wait until they are screaming or do you get up with the first grunt?

Any other tips to transition to the crib are appreciated!!

our little niece {Olivia Reese}

My brother and his wife welcomed their new little baby girl into the world today!

And Carson is a BIG brother!!

Meet Olivia Reese St. John

She was born at 2:02pm.  She weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long.  

We went to dinner with my parents tonight and then headed up to the hospital to meet her!

Olivia and Pearson are 5 weeks and 5 days apart.  They are going to have so much fun growing up together!

Lolly and Pops with all their grandkids.  

Can you tell that they are just a little bit proud??

meal planning monday

Monday: Grilled Chicken, Rice, & Cheesy Veggies

Tuesday: Grab a Bite after meeting my new niece Olivia!!

Wednesday: Salsa Chicken Tacos (Crockpot)

Thursday: Ravioli w/ Sundried Tomato Alfredo sauce, Veggies & Garlic Bread

Friday: Talapia w/ Shrimp Bayou Sauce, Rice, & Veggies

Saturday Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls

Saturday Lunch: Fish & Chips

Saturday Dinner: Roast, Carrots & Potatoes (Crockpot)

Sunday Lunch: Rudy's w/ our ABF

Sunday Dinner: Tamale Pie (prepared by ABF friends & frozen)

weekend wrap up

We had such a wonderful weekend.  I just love having Matt home on the weekend!!

We started the weekend Friday night with some Biscuit Pizzas, Peanut Butter cookies, and Season 1 Disc 1 of Modern Family on Netflix.  And of course some cuddling with our cute little guy!

Saturday morning I did some housework while Matt did some yard work then we had a pretty lazy day.

Saturday evening our little family of 3 headed to Allen for some bowling with our ABF at Splitsville.

I'm probably a bad Mom for taking him to such a loud place, but he did great while we were there.

He loved looking up at all the lights!

And there was no shortage of girls wanting to love on him.....

......so he was a happy camper being held the entire time!!

All the guys played two games.   

And all the girls just played one game so we could chat while our husbands played their second game.  I just love all these girls!!

 After bowling we all headed to BJ's for a delicious dinner.  Matt and I just love BJ's.  There is seriously nothing bad on the menu.  Pearson slept the entire time we were there.  He was a perfect little angel the whole night.  I'm so thankful that we have been able to do the same things that we did before he was here.  It's feels good to be able to get out with our friends!!

I was a little afraid he wasn't going to sleep well last night because we had been out all evening and we were sort of off routine, but I put him to bed at 10:30 and he woke up to eat at 3:30 then woke up again at 8:00.  We all had a great night's sleep and we even made it to church a little early.  

After church we ate lunch at Nonnie's with the whole family.  We had such a yummy home cooked meal.  I always love eating at Nonnie's.  

This evening we took a trip to In-N-Out to get a burger then came home to relax on the couch to watch the Rangers, Big Brother and blog!!

Such a wonderful weekend!! So thankful for time with my family!!

my new sonic fave

My little cousin tweeted about her favorite Sonic drink the other day.  It sounded so good to me that I tried it the very next day.  Oh my word......SO good.  

Raspberry Lemonade Slush

It's my new favorite drink.  

Go get one now, you can thank me later!!

I'm a sucker....

Little boys may not get to wear cute tutus, bows and ruffles, but boy am I a sucker for the cute little outfits with stuff on the bottom!!

I just love looking at his sweet little bottom when he naps on his tummy!!

calling all mommies: fussy time

Now that Pearson and I are getting into the swing of things at home, I'm going to get the "Calling All Mommies" series back going.  

This week's topic is.....

FUSSY TIME

Almost every day from around 5-8, Pearson is fussy.  Nothing really makes him happy.  I know this is very normal, but it's frustrating because it's the time that Matt gets to spend with him.  I hate that he's so sweet for me during the day then fussy when Matt gets home.  It's also while I'm trying to prepare dinner and then while Matt and I try to eat dinner.  

So my question is.....

What do you do to keep your baby happy during that "fussy time"?

When did the evening "fussy time" go away?

just like daddy

Ever since Pearson was born Matt's Mom, Dad and sisters have said over and over how much Pearson looks like Matt when he was a baby.  

My parents have also said over and over that he looks nothing like me when I was a baby so he must look like Matt.  

So Matt's Mom sent me his hospital picture for me to see for myself.  

What do you think??

Do you think he looks just like daddy?

meal planning monday

Monday: Southwestern Stuffed Grilled Chicken (Sam's), Grean Beans, Salad, & Rolls

Tuesday: Lasagna (Sam's), Green Bean, & Garlic Bread

Wednesday: BBQ Sandwiches (pre-made & frozen), Fruit & Chips

Thursday: Chicken Pot Pie (pre-made & frozen)

Friday: Biscuit Pizzas

Saturday Breakfast: Beer Bread

Saturday Lunch: Chili Cheese Wraps

Saturday Dinner: Out w/ ABF

Sunday Lunch: Lunch @ Nonnie's

Sunday Dinner: In-N-Out Burger

carson is 3

My sweet nephew, Carson, turned 3 today!!!

His Mommy took the cutest picture of him on his 4 wheeler {that he loves} and I just had to steal it.  Isn't he precious?  He really is so fun right now.  He talks up a storm and has a question about everything.  I am such a proud aunt!!

Yesterday we celebrated his birthday at his house.  He is obsessed with Cars {the movie}, so he had a "Race Car Party".  He brought his invitation over to me two weeks ago and every time he saw me in between he would ask if I was coming to his Race Car Party.  He was so excited about it.  We didn't get to stay for presents and cake but I did get some sweet pictures of him playing on the blow up water slide.  

Happy 3rd Birthday Carson!!  

Uncle Matt, Aunt Katy and your cousin Pearson love you so much!!  

Pearson {1 month}

Dear Sweet Pearson-

      I can't believe that you are already one month old.  Our days with you at home have seemed to fly by, but it seems like forever ago that we were in the hospital with you.  This past month with you has been amazing.  

I can't really remember life without you.  You fit so perfectly into our family.  Your Daddy and I love you to pieces.  Sometime we just sit and stare at you and talk about how we can't believe that you are ours.  We are so blessed!!

You are such a good baby!! You are only a month old, but you are already on a pretty predictable schedule.  You eat every 2 1/2-3 hours during the day and every 4-5 hours at night.  You are a great eater.  We got off to a rough start, but we have it all figured out now!! I love nursing you.  I love the special bond that we have together.  I don't even mind getting up in the middle of the night because you are just so sweet when you nurse.  I love all the sweet little grunts and squeaks that you make.  And your little burps and toots make me laugh too!!

You love to nap on your tummy during the day, but you are definitely a swaddle baby at night.  I swaddle you before I nurse you around 9:30 or 10:00 and it's like you know it's bedtime because you fall fast asleep right after we are finished.  When we wake up at 2 or 3 am, I change you, feed you, swaddle you, and then you go right back to sleep.  We have only had one sleepless night since you were born.  Mommy loves that you are a good sleeper!!

You can sleep anywhere......except your crib.  You will sleep in our arms, in your Boppy Lounger, in the bouncer, in the swing, on the floor on a blanket, or in the Pack-N-Play, but you will not sleep longer than about 15 minutes in your crib.  You are sleeping in the Pack-N-Play in our room at night, but I hope you transition to your room sometime before you are 2 months.  I'm really not in a hurry though because Daddy doesn't even notice us when we get up.  Some mornings he even has to ask if we got up in the middle of the night!! 

You love to snuggle and be held and you love your bottom patted really hard.  If we can't figure out why you are upset I just pat your bottom really hard!!  It seems to work all the time.  You love bathtime......or I guess I should say you tolerate it.  You don't smile yet so I guess I can't really know, but you don't scream, so I assume that means you like it!  You are a fan of the pacifier.  If you start to act hungry when it's not time to eat, the pacifier usually does the trick.  

You aren't really a fan of diaper changes, especially when you are hungry.  You also hate getting in the car seat, but as soon as we pick the car seat up you are fine.  And as soon as we get in the car you are usually asleep within a few minutes.  You are a strong little boy.  You can hold your head up by yourself pretty good and you have even rolled over from your tummy to your back about 5 or 6 times.  I think they were all on accident, but hey, you are a strong boy!!

 I am a super laid back Mommy (a.k.a not a germ freak) and I can't stay in the house all day every day, so we have been getting out quite a bit.  We have gone on lots of walks, taken trips to Sonic, Office Depot, Goodfella's Pizza, Target, Spring Creek BBQ, Schlotzsky's, Uncle Bryan's and Aunt Nicole's house, a Mommy & Me Playdate at the church, ABF, Babies 'R Us, the Havard's house, Buy Buy Baby, Fuzzy's Taco Shop, In-N-Out, and Lolly & Pops.  You are an easy baby to take places.  

We are completely smitten over you and so proud to say that you are ours.  We can't wait to watch you grow!!

Love-

Your Mommy

1 month Stats

Weight: 9 lbs 10 oz

Length: 22 inches

Eating: nursing exclusively (around 2am, 6am, 9am, 12am, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm)

Bedtime: around 9:30pm

Awake: around 9:00am

Naps: atleast an hour or longer in between each feeding

Diapers: newborns (1st 3 1/2 weeks)/1's

Clothes: newborn and a few 0-3 months

Favorites: snuggles, eating, sleeping, paci, tummy naps, swaddle blanket

Latest Tricks: rolling from tummy to back (on accident maybe), looking up at toys and noises, recognizing Mommy and Daddy's voice