6 MONTH UPDATE | ZOEY'S HALF BIRTHDAY

We have been busy, folks! The weather has been AWESOME lately. I don’t think there has been one day over the past month that we haven’t left the house. I feel absolutely guilty staying indoors and we try and visit family as much as possible. Trips outside of the house make me feel sane (seriously, I don’t think I’ve put ‘some’ makeup on this often since before giving birth) but they are also so very exhausting.

Since having a child, I officially hate spring-forwarding. Our time, naps, and days are whack. Z has been sleeping til about 8 (which is really/was 7 before time change) and I bring her in the bed with me and we literally lay there together until about 10. By the time I finish my first cup of coffee it's well into the afternoon! I need to shake this lazy status pronto! I’ll be heading back to work in April and my wake up call is eaaarrlllyy :/

I regret to inform you I posted no 5 month update as it completely slipped my mind and now here we are at Zoey's half birthday! I don't even know when my half birthday is... But 6 months has been a real treat. I always envisioned this age during her newborn stage, was so excited to get here and - BOOM - we're here! I have also yet to schedule her next well check because A) I'm not looking forward to sitting in the waiting area for over an hour, and B) Shots. So no stats this time around but here's some fun and amazing milestones of this pumpkin! I'll make it into a list otherwise I'll feel the need to add exclamation after every hurdle! ! !

• In size 3 diapers and into size 9mo clothing (I swear she had a growth spurt a few days ago)
• Has 2 bottom teeth
• Sits up all by herself
• Grabs and holds onto things so eagerly and well
• Does NOT roll over whatsoever
• Sleeps in the crib at night and for naps - no more swing :(
• Still EBF - but bites me every time (I have the scabs to prove it but will refrain from showing you)
• Belts out low, loud, and long screeches
• Loves shopping with Mom
• Prefers paper, crinkly bags, phones and remotes over any baby toy (aka: things she is not allowed to have)
• Loves being naked
• Played at the park and went on her very first swing ride and down the slide
• Has been falling asleep in my arms again (I was so worried she wasn't going to do it anymore!)
• Wakes up 3-4 times a night :/
• Has been given a sippy cup for practice but just chews on it 
• And only semi-interested in solids

Now that she's officially 6 months I will start feeding her solids regularly. I might even bust out the high chair so she knows it's food time! She has been an awesome baby. She is so amazing around other people and she loves just hanging out with mom and dad too. We are so lucky. She is quickly growing so independent and creating quite the character and personality. I’m soaking up as much time with her as possible before its time for me to go back to work for the season. As much as I am excited for spring and summer, these next few weeks can pipe down! Now for a photo dump...

 

oh gurrrrl

ZOEY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS

What a wonderful first Christmas for our darling Zoey! It was quite the success and went very smoothly. I was more at ease during Christmas than I was with Thanksgiving! I like that Christmas Eve is also considered a holiday-day so it gives more time for visiting and scheduling. With it being Zoey's first Christmas, I wanted her to see everyone.


On Christmas Eve we went over to Papa and JoJo's (my Dad and Joey) for prime rib dinner. It was absolutely delicious and Zoey kept busy in her new Jumper/Exersaucer while we all ate. I had full intentions of getting so many good pictures... but forgot the memory card to my camera. Luckily my brother got some with Zoey opening her very first present!

We then made our way over to Max's parents house. We decided it would be easier for us all to stay the night that way we wouldn't have to pack and get everything ready to head over in the morning - so Zoey experienced her first sleepover! I think Grandma was wayyyyy too excited about that fact and wouldn't let me put her to bed as early as I wanted too, but she ended up sleeping in! Since she was safely snuggled in to bed with the grandparents at home, Max and I went over to our friends to start a new Christmas Eve tradition over at their house. We have spent the last 5 Christmas Eve's together if not more so it's something we always look forward to! We definitely make it a point to be out later than Santa that's for sure.

I pawned Zoey off when she woke up to her Grandma and GREAT Grandma to get some extra snoozes in with Max and boy was it nice. We should stay the night at least once a week in that case... The whole day was spent in our pajamas. Coffee was sipped, cinnamon rolls were devoured, naps were taken throughout the entire house, and presents were opened! It was such a relaxing and special time. Zoey did such a good job with all of the attention and she still had one more house to go! 

We finally made our way over to my Mom's house. Zoey got another dose of her favorite Uncles (I think Uncle Jeremy is winning) he got us a baby sign language book and I can't wait to start practicing. She spent the remainder of the night in her elf diaper with her socks on her hands... let me tell you she was as happy as could be! Whatever works to keep the over-stimulation managed. 

I CANNOT GET OVER THESE POOP FACES!

















It truly turned out to be such a wonderful holiday and I am just sitting here on this relaxing Sunday evening looking back at how grateful I am to have Zoey and all of our family. I will never forget these moments and I can't wait to create even more special memories with this sweet girl.

TWO MONTHS

Our little girl aint so little anymore - she’s two freaking months already! I waited for this post until after her check up which was last night. We received excellent stats but there are a few things we need to watch out for such as reflux and giving her more tummy time. Big Z did good with her shots - I’ve never seen her so mad and shocked though! She’s currently down for her first nap which is so unusually early. I think its going to be a very rough, sleepy, and cuddly day for this sweetie after those baby thigh pinches. 

AGE// 2 months {9weeks on this post}

WEIGHT// 13.8 pounds holy chunks! 97th percentile bahaha I can’t get over it!

LENGTH// 23.5 inches long and in the 90th percentile.

HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE// 40cm and in the 90th percentile as well. She seems to be pretty proportionate! 

SIZE// Zoey has been in size 3 month for almost a month now! She’s almost starting to be too looonng for her sleepers… :/ not too excited about that because she practically lives in those but a lot of her onesies and pants fit her! Still in size 1 diapers as well. I tried the UpandUp Target brand and it is surprisingly bigger than Huggies. We’re still figuring out diaper favorites. She has a nasty rash I’ve been trying to beat so I’ve been trying every type of diaper and every cream!

EYES// The newborn blue has begun fading into hazel. Max and both of his parents have hazel eyes, myself and both of my parents have brown eyes so it’s a toss up as to what they will turn in to as she grows. They are absolutely beautiful in color right now though that’s for sure! 

HAIR// Girlfriend is rocking the old man bob. She has a ring around of ashy brown hair leaving the top of her head bald! I always knew our babe would not have those luscious newborn locks. 

SLEEPING// Thank the sleeping gods we have a dreamer! I’ve gotten her on an easy routine for getting to bed: I swaddle, boobie, and rock her to sleep in our dark room with the white noise machine on. We do this every night around 7:30pm and it has been working wonderfully. I look forward to nursing and rocking her to sleep. It is so easy to place her in the Rock n Play and creep out of the room to hang out with Max for a few hours. She usually wakes around 3-4am for the middle of the night feeding and wakes up for the day around 6am. She has also gotten into the habit of actually taking naps during the day but I think a lot of that has to do with me starting to pay attention to her cues and certain cries. Mommas still learning! 

EATING// She loves her ‘boobie’ as I like to call feeding time :) We are still exclusively breast feeding and both enjoying every second of it. I think I love nursing her more and more with each day. I still feed on demand and seeing her nudges for the boobie and hearing her gulps makes me feel so freaking proud! My freezer stash is growing but unfortunately we have a tough time getting her to take the bottle. I feel like I won’t get a date night out in awhile… but that’s okay - I do need my sushi fix here soon though… ehhemm Zoey. 

MILESTONES// Little lady has found her voice and boy does she love hearing it! We swear she’s a wolf trying to howl at the moon. She has the cutest curl of her lip when she’s on a roll and we are starting to get some giggles out too! She is happiest in the morning, especially when daddy is home for the weekend. I can’t get over her smiles and voice.

MEMORABLE OUTINGS// We haven’t taken Zoey anywhere crazy or exciting but I did venture her on in to Washington with Nichole and Harper! We went to Hobby Lobby. What a mistake to go on a Saturday! So many shoppers and tons of little old ladies itching to get their hands on my girl haha Most trips out of the house are for visiting Grandmas and Grandpas, grocery shopping and Target!

LOVES// The boobie hah had to say it. She LOVES being naked. It must feel good to be free and nakey, spreading those arms and kicking those crazy legs! I feel like she really enjoys the bath. We get lots of chats from her and she just seems soooo relaxed. Her monkey friends on the swing are a good part of her day too! 

HATES// I guess you could say she hates getting dressed and undressed and I’m probably the slowest mom when it comes to it too. Those damn button snaps take me forever, especially since she’s a manic kicker. She also gets rather unhappy if you aren’t bouncing or moving her while in your arms.

WORDS:SOUNDS// Hoowwwwling coos and silly little squeaks. I love the sound it makes when she finds her hands too. 

NICKNAMES// Boo Boo, Fart Pants, Baby Girl, Pumpkin, Zoey Bug, Sweet Girl…

FUNNY MOMENTS// When Max and I both gave her a night time bath for the first time. She was so happy and such a chatter box we couldn’t stop laughing! Max’s parents got some crazy laughs out of her too! We were all surrounding and laughing at her and she was just soaking it in being a goob.

We love this girl so much! I am so beyond excited to spend the holidays with her. Life is so much sweeter with Zoey.

 

SLEEP SWEET BABY | 7 WEEKS

When this precious child of mine sleeps, whether it be in my arms, on my chest, or safely nestled down, I can't help but pick up my phone and look at the camera roll filled with images of her. Pictures of her taken that day to pictures of her weeks ago. My how she grows. My how beautiful she is. I then stare back at her and just can't ever seem to look away. I am in love. So deeply in love with this precious child of mine.

ZOEY IS ONE MONTH!

Zoey is one month old! These weeks have truly flown by. Why oh why do they seem to do that to us parents?! The three of us have gotten to know so much from each other and our baby is growing so big and healthy! I find myself constantly looking back at pictures of her when she was fresh outta the womb and I just can’t even fathom that she is mine. 

Since I found out I was pregnant, I gravitated towards mom-blogs just so I could get an idea of what it was all about. So many admitted how tough motherhood was and I could never fully understand why. I always assumed that babies were easy and fun and what more could you ever want then to spend your entire day and nights cuddled with your newborn? That's when I learned that newborns don't always want to cuddle, let alone sleep all of the time, and it can sometimes take work to make them happy and content as can be. I guess what makes the newborn stage so rough is constantly wondering and worrying about what is wrong with your baby AND trying to get them to sleep. I find myself so tired throughout the day and can’t seem to get ANYTHING done, but at the end of it all when I’m lying in bed at night I think to myself what a pleasure it was to have spent an entire, wonderful day with Zoey. I can’t help but feel so lucky!  

We've learned that Zoey loves to be held at all times. Bouncing her to sleep on the yoga ball calls for much success. She falls asleep in the car and stroller rides making trips out of the house so worth it. She loves the boob and takes forever to burp. Changing isn't always fun but she's as snug as a bug when it's all said and done. I never thought we would have gone through so many diapers just within these 4 weeks and we're still trying to figure out if we like Huggies or Pampers more. Baths and laundry are almost starting to become a daily routine. Some days she could even use two or three baths… Spitting up is our least favorite thing but luckily we have burp rags in every room of the house. Zoey will sleep in the rock n’ play at night but absolutely hates it during the day. Overall, our babe is surprisingly content, it’s just a matter of figuring out which one of those different ways to soothe her works best! 

As for me, recovering and adjusting to motherhood has been pretty blissful. Zoey is my main focus throughout the day and she is the only thing that I have to worry about which is extremely nice. My days are spent to live for her and to help her grow and be happy. I couldn’t ask for a better job. I feel like I had a speedy recovery after labor and am thankful that I was able to get up and move around as fast as I did. My boobs are miraculous objects and I am so proud to be able to feed her every time she needs me. My nips are finally crack-free and healing very well. I still don’t exactly have a routine for pumping but I hope to in order to build her a freezer stash for safe keeping. My confidence for taking Zoey out alone has been building. I’ve managed to take her to doctor’s appointments, prescription pick-ups, a few grocery store trips, and even a getaway to Target all on my own, even though we wish Daddy could’ve been there! Momma is still trying to find her voice to sing to this little gal (I’m pretty rusty) so we might try story reading here soon instead. 

I’ll admit, I’ve had my fair share moments of breakdowns within this first month. I’ve ugly cried, thrown things out of frustration, and simply put Zoey down to regain composure. Having a baby is challenging but I am learning something new every day and that’s to be the best mommy I can be to this little girl! 

OH HAPPY DAYS ALL AROUND

Happy First day of October and to my little Pumpkin turning three weeks tomorrow!

ZOEY MADILYN DICKERSON | 2 WEEKS

She’s here, she’s here, she’s here! In fact, this little lady that stole our hearts has been here for 2 whole weeks already! The moment she was placed on my chest time absolutely stood still. I couldn’t believe that she was real and having Max stand by my side watching him become a daddy right before my eyes was one of the best moments we have ever experienced together.

You know your life has changed when your child makes you so damn happy that just the thought of them wells you up with tears. She is our world, our sweet darling girl, and the most happy and precious one at that. Being a mommy to her within these couple of weeks has been the greatest gift. It feels so right! I am absolutely astounded by her beauty and her tiny little body. This pip-squeak came out of me! She was certainly bigger than we expected but completely perfect in our eyes. She feels heavier by the day and it makes my heart burst. Part of me is so sad to see her grow but another part of me is rooting her on to become the healthiest little girl she can be! 

She loves to eat, sleep, and poop. Boy is she good at all three! She’s a lazy eater in a sense she takes FOR-EV-ER and just likes to hang on to mom but she certainly gets the job done and I don’t mind her snuggles one bit. I am not a fan of burping and she scares me to death with even the slightest cough/choke from spit up. Spit up is my enemy because I hate to see her uncomfortable and she gets the wrath of hiccups after every feeding. She’s a stinky thing and it is so hilarious discovering the little treasures she leaves for Daddy and I to clean up. ANOTHER poopy diaper? OH we just changed one of those like, 6 seconds ago… And sleep. For awhile there I was having to wake her up to eat. Two days ago I could have said that her naps followed 2 hours to a tee, or that she had been sleeping through almost every visitor we’ve had over; being passed back and forth through chatting and music… however, not so much anymore! We’ve discovered she has a bout of thrush that has had her extremely uncomfortable to the point of exhausting herself to sleep through the entire night since she now spends the majority of the day awake and crying :( I can only hope it passes soon because nothing feels worse than seeing your baby upset. The doctor has reassured us that she should start feeling back to normal in no time and that our girl is one tough cookie. She has surpassed her birth weight (go chubs!) and is as perfect as can be. 

Although its odd that I was only pregnant two weeks ago, I miss it, but I wouldn’t trade her for the universe. She is safe here with Max and I and loved by so many. She is my reason for living. She visits me in my dreams every night. She is my first thought when I wake up. She is everything I have ever wanted.

PUMPKIN BUMP | WEEK 19

Officially 19 weeks holy cow! I can’t describe how wonderful it feels to announce our pregnancy and to hear everyone’s kind and thoughtful words of congratulations. I’m sure it was quite the surprise for many because only a handful of people knew!

My belly appears to be growing a little each day! At the beginning of the week there wasn't much bump and now it has officially popped I believe! Here’s a little update of my 19 weeks so far.

HOW FAR ALONG// 19 weeks. I can almost say I’m already 5 months along… right?

GENDER// A girl! I hope the ultrasound tech is right because I am the suckiest person at returning things. 

BABY SIZE//  As big as a mango, wow! During my doctor’s appointment they said baby is measuring exactly where they need to be at 19 weeks and is about 6 inches and 8.5 ounces, almost a pound!

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN// 5 pounds at last weeks doctors appointment. I’m good with dat.

MATERNITY CLOTHES// None yet! Luckily all of my beloved pairs of AE jeans are super stretchy and I did just buy a new pair of black jeggings at Target that fit very comfortably that I’ll be able to wear after. ALSO - these pants at Target. If you’re pregnant, get some. If you’re not pregnant, get some. They have a built in band, yet they’re not maternity? So freaking comfy and loungy. Target rules. 

STRETCH MARKS// Nope — still lathering up on that cocoa butter! 

SLEEP// Uhhh friggen HORRIBLE. I now know what it feels like to go numb in my legs and hips. Tossing and turning occurs a lot throughout the night and I just don’t do body pillows. Sucksalot. 

BEST MOMENTS THIS WEEK// Announcing to the world! aka - Facebook & Insta. 

MISS ANYTHING// I think my feet are growing. Can they shrink instead? I think all of my shoes are starting to not fit. 

MOVEMENT// You know… I feel weird nudges while I’m laying down at night or after I’ve eaten. Whenever I notice it I stop and stare and then nothing happens haha.

FOOD CRAVINGS// Little baby oranges. Those tangelos, or cuties, or halos or whatever the hell you call them. They is gud and I eat too many at a time. 

ANYTHING MAKING YOU FEEL NAUSEOUS// This babe has been SO good to me that I’ve felt great more than anything.

SYMPTOMS// Very tired, especially now that I’m back at work for the season and my sleepless nights are in full effect. 

BELLY BUTTON IN OR OUT// Still in, but let me tell you - my belly is fuzzzzzzyyyyy. I have developed a very pronounced ‘happy trail’. It’s not the infamous linea nigra either, it’s straight up hair. 

HAPPY OR MOODY// Very happy, so happy I just may start to sprout a glow here soon! I hope!

LOOKING FORWARD TO// Hmmm summer so I can sport dresses, flip flops, and a bikini. 

I'm just so damn happy!