11 months {photos}

As promised…

my adorable, cuddly, wonderful, silly, chatty, amazing 11 month old! (As some may know, our area experienced some very serious flooding last week and these first few photos are in front of an area that’s typically dry)

         

seriously TOO cute!

almost one year old.

Wow.. it's SO hard to believe my sweet little peanut butter is almost one year old!  Where have the past 11 months gone??  It seems like just yesterday I was worrying every single second about labor and about how our family would manage with a third child.  Gage David is one amazing little fella - he has brought such joy into our family and now I see why the Lord blessed us with surprise #3!

• No idea what you weigh or how long you are - I'll work on that! (safe to say you're a little peanut compared to your brother and sister when they were 11 months old)
• Still no teeth - strange but no big deal I guess! 
• You're crawling all over the place and are super fast! 
• You're also becoming a pro at pulling yourself up and scooting along furniture
• You eat EVERYTHING!  You've completely boycotted baby food and will only eat what everyone else is eating.  I guess I can't blame you!
• You refuse to drink water - only when it's mixed with a little juice.
• You still hate the bathtub. scream the entire time.
• You'll be moving rooms very soon - heading down the hall to your big brother's room - he is very excited to have a roommate! 
• You LOVE Gavin and Gabby - they can always make you laugh and smile even when you're super grumpy!
• You say KITTY!  It's the cutest thing ever - and yes, I know, can an 11 month old really talk... YES - he really does say kitty - I have witnesses =)

(I promise to add his 11 month old photos soon!  Hard to believe we only have one more month of our fancy sticker photo sessions.) 

let me explain..

my lack of posts that is..

Summer has flown by and there isn’t enough hours in the day..

We just got back from a brief vacation in Tennessee.. what a beautiful state!

My husband lost his job right before our beach vacation and with him home now in the evenings I don’t have time to post like I did when he was working..

My work has been pretty hectic lately with some pretty serious changes coming down the pike..

I’ve taken millions of photos this past month and am just not sure which ones to post..

I’ve started planning Gage’s 1st birthday party!

I’m still trying to work through this post-partum depression..

I’m sorry I’ve fallen off the blogging wheel but I promise sometime soon I’ll jump back on! =)

Until then.. here’s a photo of me and my cute little rascals in Gatlinburg!

10 months old & meet Sandy Jo!

oh wow, I’m behind.  so behind. (so so sorry.)

My sweet baby Gage is already in the double digits =)  He is such an adorable, fun, silly little monkey and I am so grateful the Lord blessed us with such an incredible surprise!

• you still HATE bath time
• you eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat – seriously.
• paci = most wonderful thing ever!
• you’re a pro with your cup but refuse to drink just water
• the only food you don’t like so far is peas
• you destroyed my pickle tonight at dinner!
• you drink about 15-20 ounces of formula each day
• you’re a great sleeper – finally!
• still wearing size 3 diapers and size 6-9 or 12 month clothing
• you love your big brother & sister – they really make you smile!
• you ‘army crawl’ all over the house
• you pulled yourself up in your crib Sunday morning – mommy came in to get you, saw you standing there and started to cry!
• everyone comments on your adorable blond hair and cute dimples!
• you’ve found a love for music and really like to bust a move sometimes!

Gage - I feel so grateful that the Lord chose me to be your mommy and I just love seeing your beautiful face everyday.  You’re such a sweet, mellow, smart little man.

 

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day
Oh, take your time, don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
Go find a woman, you'll find love
And don't forget son there is someone up above
And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can?
Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied
And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can? Oh yes, I will
Boy, don't you worry you'll find yourself
Follow your heart and nothing else
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you my son is to be satisfied
And be a simple kind of man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can?
Baby be a simple, be a simple man
Be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man

PS: Gage was not in photo shoot mood tonight… bummer.

Now, you may be asking, who’s Sandy Jo? (or maybe you forgot because you were so distracted by that sweet little blond above!)  Sandy is the newest member of our family.. a loveable, hugable, kissable, cuddle-able kitten!

She joined our family on Saturday and we’ve been madly in love ever since.  [well maybe not tonight when I had to scoop her poop but I guess one gets used to that task after a while!]  I had an awesome cat named Petrie growing up, so I’ve always wanted a cat but Steven was never real keen on the idea.  For some reason (I still don’t know why) on Saturday when the opportunity arose for us to bring this sweet little lady home he was actually okay with it.  Imagine my delight when, as soon as we got home Saturday night, she snuggled right up with me and fell asleep.  And actually, as I type this, she’s resting nicely right above me on the sofa!  (yea, I know, I look a little rough at 10:30 p.m. but I figure, if you’ve seen my bare 38 week pregnant, stretch mark belly you can see my exhausted, worn out, pajama wearing self too!)

The kids have really done well with Sandy and she seems to enjoy them too!

We were just calling her Sandy then I started calling her Sandy Jo tonight when she would not stay off the dinner table!  She needed a middle name so my punishing sounded more firm =)  so Sandy Jo it is!  I love having a little kitty cat around the house and she has proved to be a a good choice for our family.. she knows how to use the liter box, she doesn’t mind the dogs, she’s fine when Gabby follows her all over the house yelling ‘kitty kitty kitty kitty,’ she loves to snuggle and she loves to play!  I’m one happy cat momma =)

9 months ---> WOW!

SO behind here!!  I need to do Gage’s 9 month post (see below!) along with a beach post.. that’ll be a long one :)  All is well here.. just trying to stay cool in this awful heat.  I am busy dreaming of beautiful autumn leaves and cool, crisp autumn air!

Gage had his 9 month well baby check yesterday and he now weighs 19 pounds 6 ounces and is 30 inches long!  That places him in the 94th percentile for length and the 32nd percentile for weight.

• You have the most adorable laugh!!
• You’re all about the Army crawl – man you’re quick!
• You’re not a fan of the bathtub.. we’ll work on that.
• Paci = best friend!
• You’re babbling like crazy.. but still no mama :(
• The sippy cup (that I spent $6 on – yikes!) seems to be a favorite for you!
• You’re a PIG – you eat EVERYTHING, including ground beef, hot dogs, potatoes, fruit, and pretty much anything anyone has on their plate when they’re next to you!
• You had puffs for the first time yesterday and you LOVED them!  You get better each day with finger feeding yourself!
• Your first trip to the beach was great – daddy took you out to play in the waves and you fell right to sleep :)
• You laugh like crazy when mommy pinches your cute little bum!
• You love your brother and sister – and they love you right back!

     

LOVE LOVE LOVE my silly little peanut butter :)

tgif.

We will be away for an entire week – off to Ocean City, Maryland.. I am excited, as it will be baby Gage’s first trip to the beach.  I promise to come back with tons of photos and lots of fun memories to share :)  For now, enjoy my answers to Mama M’s My Little Life

1. Do you think cursive writing is overrated? (Schools in Indiana have now voted to take teaching cursive writing out of their curriculum.)  no, I do not think cursive is overrated and I think it should be taught in schools.

2. Do you still use a pocket calendar or notepad or do you keep your info on your smart phone?  I still have a pocket calendar I keep in my purse and a planner that I use for work.  I actually don’t use either of the calendars on my cell phones (work or personal). 

3. What 3 things would you save if your house was burning down? (family & pets are already safe)  every single photograph/photo CD I have, my Grammie’s cross-stitch pieces, the box of special baby mementos of my children’s births/first year.  (I guess this would all count as more than 3 things  but they all fall into the same category!

4. Country Mouse or City Mouse, err Person?  country.  Although I do enjoy some city exposure every once in a while, I really don’t think I am ‘cut out’ to be a city gal.  This does make me think that I’d like to take a trip to New York City this Christmas season.. who’s in?!?

5. If you could pick ANY reality show to go on, which would you pick? oh dear, this is tough.  Truthfully I think I would fail miserably at the ones I really like – Amazing Race, Survivor, or Big Brother.. so let’s say I’d like to be on Ami James’ new tattoo show on TLC.  I wouldn’t mind getting tattooed by him :)

truth #14 {serious} & #15 {silly}

truth #14: I have post-partum depression. 

Is it easy for me to share that, no way, but is it important that I do, absolutely!  I’ve been struggling with this, truthfully, for well over a year.. I really think it began shortly after I had Gabby and I’ve allowed it to go untreated for way too long.  I don’t share this so people will feel bad for me or give me ‘pity’ – but I do share this so other people can see that postpartum depression is real and is a very serious mental health disease that, if gone untreated, can be detrimental.  I finally took my butt to the doctor and I am beginning medication tomorrow – and obviously I know that won’t be the ‘cure-all’ but I am hopeful that it will help a lot!  Prayers/thoughts for me and my family would be appreciated =)  I realize some (my mom included) may think it’s crazy for me to share such a personal battle on such a public blog – but I think me acknowledging this here is just part of my journey towards wholeness.

truth #15: I want to be a florist!

More specifically, I’ve decided that when I leave my job as a pregnancy counselor, I’d like to deliver flowers to people!  I have a highly emotional and stressful job – last week being the worst week ever in the history of my 4 years at Bethany.  My coworker (HI CHRISTINA!) and I were talking last week in the midst of all my work ‘drama’ and she mentioned that she’d like to deliver flowers for a living.. genius!!  I’ve always racked my brain trying to think of something I could do that would still bring joy to people’s lives but that would be fairly stress free; this is the perfect solution!  Now, I do realize having to bring flowers when someone has died would be emotional but you’re still bringing them something to remind them that someone is thinking about them and sending their sympathy.  So, it’s nice for me to know I have a plan B =)

No post is complete without a few shots of my crazy rascals!!

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” – James 4:10