Happy 7 Months, Rose.

Seven months ago, we were spending our first precious day with you. You are a sweet little soul that has brought so much joy and laughter to our family.

Over the last month or so you have been trying to crawl, and you even pulled up in your crib on your knees. That was Daddy’s cue to lower your mattress. 😉 I think you could crawl perfectly this second if you wanted to, but you prefer to go a short way, lie down, and reeeaaach for whatever it is you are trying to get to. It makes me laugh so much.

We took you on a trip to San Antonio to see your Uncle Aaron graduate from U.S. Air Force basic training. You had a fun trip and got to tell your Granny the exciting news- that you’re going to be a big sister! We also took you on the Riverwalk one evening. You did so great as a little traveler!

You are eating solid foods regularly now (pureed, of course!), and you’ve learned to take a bottle. You have rejected a bottle since you were about a month old, but all of the sudden you decided you like it and you take one before you go down for naps and bed time. 🙂

looking up at Daddy 🙂

This last month was a tough one, but God has been good to all of us, Rosebud. He’s taught me how to be more patient and trust Him. He’s taught you how to sleep and take a bottle. 🙂 And he’s taught Daddy how to take care of our house full of girls! 🙂

You really have the sweetest countenance. You love to play with Mama and Daddy. When we duck under your high chair tray, you lean back and look under it for us and laugh. When Mama hides behind Daddy to jump out and play “Peek-a-boo,” you grab Daddy’s shoulder and try to look around him and see where Mama went! We love watching you learn new things. At least once a day one of us will stop whatever we are doing or saying just to say, “Man, I love that little girl.”

We truly love you with a deep, fierce, sincere love that we can feel from the tips of our toes to the tops of our heads. You’re our little girl, forever and always.

Happy 7 month birthday, Rosebud. ❤
Love,
Mama + Daddy

It’s Happening…

I’m trying to fight it. Really, I am.
It’s still in the 90’s here in Texas and Rosebud still has cute Summer clothes to wear.
I still run the A/C all day long.

It’s still August!

But… I don’t know if I can fight the temptation anymore- the temptation to pull out all our fun Fall clothes (holler for being pregnant this year the same time I was last year!), candles, recipes, and decorations. I want pumpkin spice, chilly breezes that make me want to cuddle, boots, sweaters, and scarves! EEEEEP!

Not my baby, just a gorgeous photo! 😉

It happens every year. Toward the middle/end of August, I throw all the Summer clothes in a box and put all the Fall clothes on hangers in the closet. I admire all the things I haven’t seen in many months and pretend I can wear them soon. The problem is, it’s still stinkin’ HOT and we just end up milling through the Summer box to find our shorts and flip flops. Heck, I bought shorts on clearance the other day because people are pretending it’s Autumn, but there are still plenty of days of heat left.

I’m really, really trying to hold off this year. Really.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Am I alone here?

 

[All of the above photos were found on Pinterest. 😉 They do not belong to me!]

Our Story {And an Announcement!}

I’ve been asked a couple times about my and Kip’s “timeline” of how we met, started dating, got married, had a baby, etc. I posted the semi-short version here, and we also have something to add to our major milestones!

About this time two years ago, I met a guy at a sand volleyball game. I had recently come home from a 6 week stay in Romania, and also happened to be ending a year of “no dating” that I had felt convicted to take. My roommate at the time jokingly asked me, “So, now that your year is up, are you going to run out and snatch a guy?!” We laughed and I emphatically said, “No!” I was in no hurry, though something in me sensed that big changes were coming… I just didn’t know what changes those were.

I continued to run into this guy at a couple more sand volleyball games throughout the Summer, and once he tried to impress me by almost throwing me into a swimming pool and doing handstand push-ups. It worked.

I came home all giddy, but was so embarrassed at how excited I was about someone I hardly knew. This was very unlike me. Not long after that, my excitement grew (and was validated haha) because this guy ASKED ME ON A DATE! …right after he told me how he had an accident on his motorcycle that day. I think he was trying to impress me… again. Obviously it worked again because I agreed to go out with him. I only requested that we not take said motorcycle on this date. 🙂

This is how we celebrated the 1 year anniversary of our first date and 6 month wedding anniversary last year. Just a few months pregnant with Rosebud…. 🙂

Two years ago this weekend, I went on my last first date. It was the most special, thoughtful date I could have imagined. The Denton Square (my favorite place), Recycled bookstore, ice cream, and good, no-nonsense discussion about The Lord, ourselves, our views, our dreams.  We agreed to keep getting to know one another as friends for another month or so, and if we did decide to date we would do so for 6 months and then evaluate where the relationship was going. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but the Lord determines his steps…”

Dating ❤

The night Kip proposed. 🙂

Well, we fell in love. Fast. A week later we were dating, a month later “I love you’s” were exchanged (and meant), and six months from our first date we were married. It was a whirlwind, and it was and still is wonderful. I have this man and know I can count on him for all my days.

We made a big decision shortly after we were married. We knew we wanted a family together, and we wanted to believe the Lord that we can trust Him and that “…like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.”  (Proverbs 127:3-5) I wouldn’t say we were trying, but we were waiting, trusting, and resting. In May of 2012, we discovered we were pregnant with our little Rosebud. We were ecstatic, thankful, and eventually impatient. 🙂 We couldn’t wait for our little girl to be in our arms.

From motorcycle rides around the square to nursing babies in the car at weddings…

Now we have this wonderful seven-month-old girl, full of personality and smiles for everyone. She tries to crawl, chews on anything you give her, and has the funniest, sweetest laugh. We love her to pieces and can’t imagine our world without her. We may not be able to take many vacations, buy new furniture, or purchase our first home early in our marriage. But, we’ve found tremendous wealth in her love, and we’ve seen that truly, “children are a heritage from the Lord.” Funny… when you lose your life, you seem to find it.

Well, here we are a year and a half into our marriage, and we have a new milestone to add. I’ll just leave you with this picture of our little lovebug. She wanted to be the one to tell you. 🙂

Eeeeeee!! ❤

Love,
H

Birth of a Mother

“The most difficult part of birth is the first year afterwards. It is the year of travail – when the soul of a woman must birth the mother inside her.

The emotional labor pains of becoming a mother are far greater than the physical pangs of birth; these are the growing surges of your heart as it pushes out selfishness and fear and makes room for sacrifice and love.

It is a private and silent birth of the soul, but it is no less holy than the event of childbirth, perhaps it is even more sacred.” -Joy Kusek

This quote has come to mind a lot lately, as I’ve faced many nights of waking every hour with baby Rosebud as of late (hence  the sleeping pictures). It’s a tough season.

Holding fast,
H

Hi! We’re alive!

Finally. We’re done moving. It has been one crazy month, but we are finally done. We turned in the keys to our apartment (I bawled like a baby when I said ‘goodbye’ to Rosebud’s nursery) and got the internet set up at the house. I’d call that official!

I can’t wait to share pictures of our tiny little “farmhouse.” We still have some unpacking to do and weeds to pull, but so far it’s been a joy of an adventure to live here. We’ve had a snake in our utility room, an opossum in the back yard, and most recently a raccoon (we think) who enjoys rummaging through our trash cans. 🙂 We’ve also enjoyed watching several rain showers move across the pasture across the street- the most beautiful sight as it poured over our house and made our yard (!) green and alive.

We also have a gigantic Rose of Sharon bush that is trying to take over our backyard. I’m in love with it 1.) because it reminds me of my Rosebud, of course, 2.) because it also reminds me of Song of Solomon (“I am a Rose of Sharon, a lily of the valley…”), and 3.) it hides the big silver propane tank. 🙂

Anyways, that’s a short update! I can’t wait to get back to blogging. But first, unpacking…

Love,
H

The Cloth Diaper Diaries [#2]

Long time, no see! We’re in the middle of moving, so of course things are crazy. But! Here I am to follow up on my post from a couple weeks ago when we started using our new (to us) cloth diapers. I posted right after I put Rosebud to bed in a prefold (yes, like the old-school cloth prefold diapers!) and Thirsties waterproof cover, and fully anticipated a long night of wet diapers, PJ’s, and sheets.

But, much to our surprise…. success!! I couldn’t believe it! No leaks, no wet sheets, nada. She did wake up a couple times throughout the night, but that is normal. 😉

Since then, we’ve changed diapers a LOT. Like, every 1-3 hours. After much practice, we have finally figured out how to put the prefolds and covers on her comfortably. For the first several days I had a hard time keeping them from bunching up. Rose was obviously uncomfortable. Like I said, this is all trial and error!

When I purchased our first lot of dipes, I bought them from two different ladies who were de-stashing and selling their randoms on Craigslist. I was planning to only use prefolds and covers, but somehow I came home with some diapers I had never seen before. Thankfully, I came across THIS incredible post, that went over every different type of diaper you can try, and she wrote reviews on them all. I’m so glad someone has done this, because it was so helpful! After I watched her videos, I realized the diapers I had purchased but didn’t recognize were All-in-Two’s, or hybrid diapers (basically a soft cover with a snap-in insert).  So, I thought we could give those a go!

Turns out, they’re my favorite. Absolute favorite! It also turns out… they’re expensive. Go figure! Somehow I managed to score these babies for not-a-lot-a-dollas.

Since I posted our first night of CD-ing, we’ve also purchased some Sunbaby Pocket Diapers. I decided I wanted to give them a try, due to the aforementioned prefold-crotch-bunching. (I made that term up. You like it?) I honestly wasn’t sure about them (because I wasn’t sure about stuffing/unstuffing them when they were dirty), but they’ve turned out to be GREAT! My second fave, right under the AI2’s. Also, brand new Sunbaby’s are very affordable. We bought ours second hand, of course. 😉

So, bottom line (hehe), I’d say cloth diapering is going well so far! I’m still always on the lookout for good deals, hoping to steadily build a decent stash. It’s not as bad as I thought it might be- cleaning up poo, washing dirty diapers, touching soiled cloth. I actually really enjoy knowing that we’re saving money in the long run and we’re keeping as many chemicals off baby Rosebud as we can.

Any other cloth diapering Mamas out there have any advice? What’s your favorite brand/type of dipe? Let me know in the comments!

Love, H

The Cloth Diaper Diaries [#1]

Tonight, we accidentally started a new adventure: cloth diapers. 

I say accidentally, because I hadn’t intended to start using them quiiiite yet. Last week I purchased some prefolds, covers, a wet bag, and a couple of other types of cloth diapers from 2 different ladies I found on Craigslist, my love in life. I planned to start using them when we moved to our house, where I could wash and line dry them. However, after Rosebud’s bath tonight, I put her on the changing table, reached into the diaper stacker, and… alas, no more disposables.

So, we begin! I only put one prefold in a Medium “Bummis” Brand cover. I’m sure I’ll end up changing her tonight, and maybe her PJ’s and sheets. Here’s to trial and error!

I’ll letcha know how it goes! Anyone use cloth and have any advice for a newbie? 🙂

Love,
H

Mom-Brain Defined.

Y’all. Someone needs to tell me what day it is. I guess I was just so excited about my Baby-wearing Wednesday post that I decided to post it a day early! Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. Ha… Ha… Zzzzz…

Someone want to buy me a calendar? 🙂

Thanks for liking it anyway, even if you were all laughing at me wondering what world I live in where Wednesday comes after Monday! 😉

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!
Love,
H

Baby-wearing Wednesday {Fashion}

The word “fashion” makes me snicker. I’m not sure why. Maybe because it seems like such a serious word to some people, but it only ever reminds me of dressing up for “fashion shows” with my friends when we were 10. Fashion is fleeting, y’all! It doesn’t hurt to enjoy it, but it does hurt to live for it! So, be inspired… but don’t be obsessed. K? K. 🙂

Anyways, I wanted to share some fashion (hehe) inspiration when it comes to baby wearing. I love coordinating clothes by season, color, style, accessories, practicality, etc. And I consider wraps and slings to be accessories!

So, here is one of my favorites. I found this picture whilst perusing Pinterest, and the source was a Tumblr page. So, I have no idea who this girl is or where she bought all her cuteness, but I thought she was wearing this babe so, so well! One day I’ll be brave enough to wear a headscarf like she is. I just loooove that gypsy-hippy look.

Sidenote: it appears she is at the airport. This style wrap is perfect for going through security! No metal rings or buckles to set off the metal detectors, but she still has her hands free for her bags. My only suggestion would be to wear shoes that slip on and off, instead of buckle. But hey, sometimes the cute shoes are worth the trouble! 😉

Alright, here’s a different style of sling:

It’s my dream to one day have a Sakura Bloom Ring Sling. They’re so beautiful, practical, and expensive. Sad face. I loved this picture because it showed an older child sitting comfortably in his sling and the ease with which she is carrying him. Both Mama and Baby are bundled up for winter and are still enjoying the benefits of baby-wearing! Also, I want her glasses.

Speaking of bundling up for Winter, here is my last photo for today!

When I saw this creative Mama started following my blog, I just couldn’t help but return the compliment. She makes these great Baby Carrying Jacket inserts! What a brilliant idea! Last Winter when Rosebud was just a few weeks old and I wanted to wear her, I would always find the biggest jacket I had and stretch it over her while she was in the Moby. I basically just looked pregnant again, lol! And now my jacket is all stretched out. Wah. This is a much better idea. Check out her Etsy shop where she sells these and all sorts of fun creations.

Send me some shots of your favorite way to wear your babe at asrosebudblooms@gmail.com. I’d love to feature you one Wednesday!

Happy baby-wearing!
Love,
H

Changes a’Comin!

We have some exciting news to share! We are moving to our first house! Wheeeee! 🙂

Since we got married we’ve lived in 2 different apartments. The first was a tiny little 1-bedroom place, barely big enough to turn around in. Also, the complex was called “Shady Place.” Yes, really. And yes it was, in fact, a bit shady. But! I was never scared of someone hiding in there because you could pretty much see the whole apartment from every room. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for us to feel a little claustrophobic in there and after a few months we moved to our current apartment: a great little 2-bedroom place in a small, better-named complex.

We’ve really enjoyed our time here. This is where we created our first nursery for our little Rosebud and where I labored for several hours the day she was born. We left the birth center and brought her home… here. I’ve rearranged the furniture in this place more times than I can count. I’ve loved making this place a home for us. But, as our Rosebud blooms and gets bigger, we need something a little more functional. Soon I will have a mobile baby and I don’t think my heart can handle the fear of her making her way to the stairs. (As if my eyes are ever not on her…)

So! We’ve signed a lease to rent a tiny little farmhouse outside of town. We’re sacrificing a bit of space inside for a great yard, the ability to do laundry at home, and a gorgeous view! And of course, the best part about it: no stairs. Nada. Also, it will shave about 15 minutes off of Kip’s drive to work. This is a sweet deal all around, people! 😉

I can’t wait to get my hands on this new, blank slate and make it ours. We’ve both always wanted to live in the country together, but we imagined it being years down the road. But now we’re so excited to simplify all our stuff and raise our baby where the green grass grows! ….and turns brown in the Texas summer! 😉

Any advice on moving with a baby? I’m a little nervous about how she’ll transition. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Pictures to come!

Love,
H