My Baby is 6 months!!!

I seriously can not believe that my baby is 6 months old!  On one hand it feels like he has been a part of our lives forever, and on the other hand it feels like yesterday that he blesses us.  I recently learned about the term "rainbow baby".  I haven't shared this with many people, but Colton is our "rainbow baby".  For those of you that aren't familiar with the term, a rainbow baby is your second baby.  A baby after a loss.  I made it to 10 weeks with our first baby before I lost in on February 3, 2013.  Maybe I will tell the story sometime, but right now I am celebrating my beautiful baby boy!

Colton Christopher makes us laugh everyday.  He is quick with a smile and a giggle to follow.  He is one of the most observant babies I've ever seen.  He loves to watch us, and he watches with so much interest I just wonder what he is thinking.

He loves to look at himself in the mirror, it almost always makes him smile.  He LOVES to eat.  I mean seriously…just look at the boy!  

He has just learned to sit up on his own.  He still flops back, so I can't just put him down, but he can do it!  He also loves to stand!  He is very wobbly and obviously can stand on his own, but loves it all the same.

He is a rolling machine.  He recently started sleeping on his side.  I find myself just staring at the monitor, watching him sleep.  There are so many times I just want to go in and pick him up and cuddle him.

Going back to work has been hard.  It does make it a little easier knowing that he is just home with Chris, but still….I'm not home with him.  Plus…I'm not exactly happy with my work situation (long story) which makes it harder to go in everyday and leave my baby at home.

But anyway….my baby is 6 MONTHS!!!  

Oh Baby! Makin' Baby Food

Homemade Baby Food…its the best gift you can give your baby.  Its good for them, it saves you money, and its fun!  :)

While I was pregnant with C I searched and searched for information on making your own baby food.  Everyone has a different opinion and a different way of doing it.  I like to keep things simple, and I will share with you what worked for me...

Today I made Apples.  When I make something for the first time I make sure to wash with soap everything I use before making a second food (assuming I'm making more than one food in a day).  Otherwise I just rinse everything.  You have to be really careful with possible food allergies.  You want to wait 5-7 days between each new food (that's what our pediatrician recommended).  We introduce new foods in the morning so we can monitor any reactions he may have.

I cleaned, pealed, and cut the apples before steaming them.  This is the steamer I use.  Again, keeping it simple.  I just put the metal steamer in a pot with water and add food.

You don't need a special blender.  I use my Magic Bullet (which is really old and may not last much longer), but you can use any blender you have around the house.  Add water as needed.  I suggest adding a little less than you think you need, you can always add more when its time for the baby to eat. You can use the water you steamed the food in to preserve nutrients.

Next, you put your food in a ice cube tray.  I got these from Amazon and I love them!  They are specially made for baby food and they have a lid so nothing from the freezer gets into your babies food.  Let your cubes freeze for 24 hours.

After your food is frozen you can put in into a freezer bag.  Again, when I make a new food I keep it separate and put it into a bag by itself, but when I make food that he has had before I just put it all in one bag.

The day before I am going to feed him, I thaw two cubes in a mason jar, and put it in the fridge.  I got these mason jars from Target, they are perfect!

 There was never a second thought when it came to making my own baby food.  This is something I wanted to do for my baby, and I'm so glad.  I know exactly what is going into his body, and I am helping him form good food habits early.  So far we have tried sweet potatoes, pears, cucumbers, peaches, yellow squash, carrots, banana, and avocado.  And now Monday we will try apples.  (isn't it funny how we say "we", but really its just the baby)

My Baby is 3 months!

I am the worlds worst blogger.  However, having a little baby to care for takes up a lot of time, and doesn't leave room for much else.  But we are getting our schedule down and getting into a routine.  I plan on posting about Colton's birth eventually, it was a bit of an ordeal.  Good thing he is so wonderful, it totally makes it worth it.

My beautiful baby was born on Friday February 28th.  

Colton Christopher Reid was 7lbs 11oz and 20 1/2 inches long.

The drive home.  Chris drove so slowly while I sat in the back checking on the baby every minute.

The first few days home were hard and exhausting, but filled with joy like I never knew I could feel.

This cute but sad face is what we saw a lot of the first few weeks.  It took us a while to figure out that Colton has a slight milk allergy which gave him really bad gas and a terrible diaper rash.  He was also not sleeping well because of all of this and that just added to the fussiness.

 One week came so fast, but getting a picture of Captain Cranky was difficult.

I take a million pictures of him everyday…I just can't help it.

One Month Old!

His first smiles :)

He loves to cuddle his Mommy <3

It has been so amazing to see Chris grow into the role of Father.  He has been amazing!

Two Months!!!

He looks so much like Chris.  He's like a little mini.  I thought he was going to look like me, he looks a lot like I did as a baby, but as he gets older he is looking more like Chris.

We recently purchased our "Wubby".  Its been a God send!  I highly recommend for any baby that takes a pacifier.

My baby boy is rolling from his front to his back and/or side, and learning to sit up on his own.  He makes a grunting noise when he tries to sit up…it takes so much effort.

And today he is 3 months old!  I can't believe it.  Time is going by so fast, I'm just trying to soak up every moment with this wonderful baby boy.  I type this with one hand as the other is holding a sleeping baby and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh Baby Nursery!

We started working on the nursery a few weeks ago.  There was a lot to be done!  We had to clean it out (it was a guest room/ office/ junk room), remove the wallpaper and paint.  Chris has been working so hard!

Choosing a paint color was difficult, but I am really pleased with the green we chose.

It's so exciting to be preparing for this little man.  Today he put the crib together, so I washed the bedding and put it all together. (yes, I know the bumpers and blanket need to go before the baby sleeps in the crib)

It looks so good!  I can't wait to get the rest of the furniture in the room.  And I really can't wait to add a little baby to the room :)

A new year, a new beginning, bring on 2014

This past year has been a crazy one.  We had the lowest of low's followed but the highest of high's.  I am greatly looking forward to 2014!  We are going to have so many new experiences and memories.  The most important one being that we are expecting a baby boy in about 9 weeks.  

Holy crap…9 weeks!

(I realized after taking this picture that I have to clean that mirror…add it to the list)

I haven't been blogging about my pregnancy because honestly I haven't been blogging.  There are several different reasons why I needed to take a break, but now with the new year I would like to get back into it.

I am going to start by linking to a few other blogs and answering the questions below:

1. What is something you want to change, or a goal you want to set for the New Year & what is your plan for making it happen?  I want to be more productive.  I am very productive in my work life, but not so much in my personal life.  I want to spend more time accomplishing things around the house, and finishing all the projects I love to start.  What is my plan for getting this done….hmmmm, not sure. I guess I just need to start by doing and go from there.

2. Many people chose a word to reflect on, live by or aspire to for the New Year. Let us know your word, how you decided upon it & how you plan to incorporate it into 2014.  I guess my word would be PRODUCTIVITY.

3. I will make 2014 count by… I will be the best mother to my son that I can possibly be.  I will keep up with the house work and not let it overwhelm me.  I will continue to show my husband that he is loved and appreciated.  I will take more pictures and document my new family of three.  I will cherish every moment as it comes.