Archer Update

I'm just going to put up cute pictures of my baby.
Ten Month Milestones:
Two teeth- bottom
Standing, pulling up, balancing, walking with walker, walks with furniture
Eating all foods besides milk. So excited for the day I no longer have to buy formula.
Likes to put his toys in an out of the basket or Lightning McQueens cubby, he is always exploring.
Sounds he is making: da, ma, wa, ba, ya, hi, ah, blah
Figures out what things are and basically if he can chew on it, he likes it. Otherwise he chucks it.

Love my boy.

Xo,
Momma K

love me some sleeping baby

Archer and his Great Grandma Payne

just exploring

play too hard, needed a rest

just pretending to sleep in between bites

the fake cry

just cruising along

best.

there is nothing quite like a baby laughing.

oh how I love him.

Xo,

Momma 

My Must Have's ::Baby Gear::Momma Gear::

1. A good breast pump. I got mine from Target, it is the Medela-Pump in Style. I used a coupon for $50 off and used my REDcard to save 5%.

2. Avent Bottles. They just worked for us. The bottle nipple was good for Archer, find what works for you.

3. Aden and Anais/ Bambino Land Muslin Swaddle Blankets. Seriously though, master the art of swaddling your baby tight, it makes them happy. -I also got the SwaddleMe blankets, which worked great! There is usually a coupon code for Bambino Land, or they pop up on baby steal network on occasion. These also doubled for me as a nursing cover, and a spit up rag. You do what you gotta do.

4. Pamper's Diapers. Swaddlers, specifically. So great, so soft-they never irritated Archer's sensitive skin- Huggie's did.

5. Zipper Jammies. Why not snaps you ask? Because when you haven't slept for 3 weeks and you try to do up snaps at 4:32am for they 19th diaper change of the day- you will hope the inventor of snaps is dead, so you don't kill him yourself. I like this brand because they fit the babies tight. My 8 month old is in size 12-18 months. No big deal :)

6. Boppy, life saver while feeding- I also use it currently for Archer to hang out in.

7. Britax Car Seat/ Stroller. Safety is huge for me, and Britax has the highest ratings. It is something I refused to compromise on in cost. Archer's safety is the most important thing.  I used the B-Safe/B-Agile until Archer weighed too much and got too long and now he is in the Boulevard 70-G3. Again I know carseats are expensive and there are other less expensive options that are good- but safety in the car is a huge deal for me personally.

8. Huggies Wipes: One and Done- by far the best, thicker and good for sensitive bums.

9. Bourdeaux's Butt Paste. Trust me.

10. I thought Archer would take Avent binkies, because of the bottles. I tried Avent, Nuk, and we finally settled on MAM. Don't buy a bunch of binkies in one brand. Find what works for your babe- unless you are anti-pacifier, which is totally fine too.

11. A wipeable or machine washable diaper bag. I like Petunia Pickle Bottom or Ju Ju Be. There are less expensive options available.

12. Pack-N-Play- we used our in our room for the first three months until we transitioned Archer into his own room. It lifted to a height that is the same as a bassinet. Also we needed a swing, as Archer had collic and it was the ONLY thing that he would sleep in. Again do what works for you!

13. Nipple Cream. You may think, I don't need that crap. But you do. Just go with it.

14. Someone you can text, anytime, to ask your questions you think are dumb. To talk to about why you are crying at 3am over not having a doughnut in your house. Why you are crying in general. Why the babies poop is weird, why they are pooping so much. Are they eating enough, sleeping enough. Just make a deal with someone, who has been there who won't nag.

15. Enlist Grandma to come over 3x a week to give you a break in the middle of the day and NAP, sleep when the baby sleeps. The dishes can wait, the laundry can wait, the shower can wait. SLEEP, it will make everything seem better when you wake up.


OKAY those are the essentials for the first couple months. Those are what I used anyway.


Xoxo,
Momma K

7 Months!

I cannot believe Archer is 7 months! He is the best little dude, ever. I am so in love with him and am beyond grateful every day to be his Momma.

At 7 Months:
-Reach and switch hands with toys, which instantly go in his mouth.
-Eats anything you will give him.
-Drinks 8oz bottles in under 2 minutes
-So close to crawling, gets up and rocks back and foward
-Seasoned sitter
-LOVES Marley, and tries to lick her all the time.
-Rolls all around my house
-when he talks he does this serious look and low voice and yells, hilarious.
-loves his Mommy, but him and his Daddy have the most amazing bond. I love watching them play.
-Bedtime around 8:30, last night he slept until 6am... first time ever, through the night- and went back to sleep until 8:30a with a bottle.
-Takes 2 naps
-I measured him and he is roughly 29in and weighs about 21 pounds to my best guesses

Archie,
You truly are the light of my and your Dads lives, we can't imagine our world without you in it. You are so special to us and we are so lucky to be your parents, each day watching you grow and learn is the most humbling experience. I am so proud of everything you do and want to video every moment or snap a picture. You are close to saying Hi and Dada I think you have said them, but don't really know what they are yet- but you are understanding so much! Oh yeah, you LOVE Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Octonauts. You cute little dimpled smile melts my heart and you quickly get what you want, I am truly wrapped around your tiny fingers.

I love you baby.

Xo
Momma

(Review on MAM teething binkies coming soon)

Nuby Teething Keys

These have been a saving grace the last couple days! I picked them up at Walmart, but I'm sure they are available everywhere!! All the keys and ring have different textures to help massage the gums!! You can freeze them too!

Xo, Momma

And then I made

This cute nautical headband
Cost: $0
Difficulty: easy
What you need: an old t shirt, scissors, and hot glue. Oh a girl tiny human is necessary, I tried it on Archy but my husband did not approve!!
Let me know if I should do a tutorial!

happiness is...

I follow this really inspirational blog http://runningonhappiness.blogspot.com/...

It inspires me to be better, stronger, and more confident. 

So in true happy fashion I am going to write a list of things that make me happy.

1. feeling my little boy's kicks and jabs... 

most incredible feeling.

2. my husband, he is amazing, 

I love him more than I could ever write down.

3. sitting in my nursery and looking at the empty crib, 

that will soon be filled with a squishy little boy.

4. not a lot of snow this winter... 

it just is good all around.

5. my family, I look up to each of them in their own way.

6. my dog, Marley, she is so funny and thinks she is a human... 

we lovingly call her our cat dog. 

7. strawberry milk. 

I crave it like 8 times a day. 

8. nesting, even though it gives me anxiety... 

it is making me so excited.

9. hot showers, not as hot as I used to take... 

but still the best thing on my back ever.

10. thoughts of a family of 3, a car seat in the back of my car and 

always having a little buddy with me. 

Well that is the short list, but I am trying to be more grateful and positive.  I don't want to let anything that has brought me down in the past, keep me down for the future. 

and so many fun things coming up this month, 2 showers, Valentines Day, Birthdays, D'Ette Night to Remember, SYTYCD filming, new team auditions... another baby shower in March and hopefully the arrival of my son!! ahhh!!!  :) 

xoxoxo,

Kelli

baby bump: by request

Here are pictures of baby boy pushing out my belly.

I am 23 Weeks and 1 Day.

Baby boy is on a schedule now,

he sleeps between 10a-6p...

and is awake until about midnight.

and then I am asleep-so I am not sure if he is moving.

But this morning he was kicking me so hard, 

that I woke up.

He wanted food, I guess?! 

(I picture him punching me saying, feed me!)

I should really start shopping for him.

I have his stroller and carseat...

and a diaper bag...

that's a start right?

On another note, my beautiful team competes this weekend 

at Northridge! 

I will post our results later...

We had a mad scramble to get ready for the competition.

xoxo,

Kelli

belly shots

I just heard that apparently people get mad, 

when people get pregnant and then all they blog about is pregnancy.  

But I think that it is kind of unfair, 

because blogs are for documenting lives 

(at least for me.) 

and this child, is a HUGE part of my life now... 

and so he deserves to be documented... 

granted I still have posted about other things since announcing my pregnancy, 

but yes, 

the majority is about documenting the

HUGE, amazing, life-changing 

thing that I am experiencing... 

I guess if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. :)

so without further ado... updated belly shots. 

                                                              

love,

kel

baby boy making my belly grow!

Well, here are the beginnings of my belly.

It has even popped out some more since the last picture.

I am 19 weeks on Thursday.

I am so anxious to hear my sons heart beat again on Monday.

I have my "big" ultrasound on Nov. 23rd

I get to see the cool things, 3-D images, lots of different pictures.

I am just getting so excited.

I wonder what my son will look like.

What his personality will be like.

I have had day dreams of a black curly haired boy,

 with blue eyes... running after me.

But I would be happily surprised with a blonde haired boy.

Really, I am just excited to see the beginning of mine and Brandon's family.

To see them come to Earth and hope that we don't mess up too bad! 

I just want my boy to get here, healthy.

I think I personally know more than 15 pregnant people right now.

I'm so excited for my son to have so many friends coming to the world.

xoxo,

kelli + squishy boy 

making my belly big.

thoughts on the first trimester

(this post is more of a journal for me, please read if you want- but understand that I want to document these emotions so I can remember how I feel.) 


-The Beginning: I still find it surreal that there is a squishy little human growing inside of me, sometimes I don't believe that it's true. The baby is 3 inches long this week. I just really can't believe that I have a person growing inside of me. When we decided to start trying, in mid-May, I had been on birth control for seven years, so we thought it would take quite a while... well 45 days later we were pregnant, so it was an expected surprise, if that makes sense! I just cried when I found out, and I re-took pregnancy tests... like 4 of them. Just to be sure.

-Morning Sickness: what a bad name... it should be called all day/all night sickness.  The one saving grace of it, is usually if you are still sick- it means the baby is growing properly. So as much as I can imagine all women hate the constant nausea, at least you get some peace of mind. Phenegren has made it so I can somewhat function.

-Colds: during pregnancy are a joke. I have had this specific cold for three and a half weeks... seriously. I have had a hard time sleeping, I am constantly coughing- which half the time hurts my changing body... and I have no immune system, so I can't really fight it and I can't take much medicine for it... Good news baby is still nice a safe and warm in it's little home.

-Sex of the Baby: I really didn't understand before when people would say they didn't care what they had... but now I do... Brandon and I really could care less what it is, as long as it gets here safely.  I guess that's where faith comes in.  I mean of course I have visions of a little girl in leggings with chubby thighs hanging out the top in between that and a ruffle butt onesie- or  a little boy with thick curly hair that will be born off the charts in height and that will run around looking up to Bk, wanting to be just like his Dad- but still in love with his Mom... I have those things, but I would happily take either vision.

-Are we ready?: Of course not, but ready or not, here it comes- I guess at this point!  We have nights of panic where we think about how we have lived just us for close to five years and how do we add another tiny person into this mix- diapers, feeding, clothing, how am I going to be a parent, I hope I don't screw up this person I am growing thoughts.  There are just so many emotions involved with this evolution, plus you have crazy pregnancy hormones on top of it all... so every feeling and thought is amplified by one million.

-Complications: Around 9 weeks I had a threatened miscarriage and was in the Emergency Room for about six hours.  I never knew how much I wanted this child in my life until that moment, not that I didn't want it- I always did, but the thought of losing it had me broken down. (In fact I hadn't told my Family I was pregnant...I was so scared/stressed that on our way to the ER I called my Mom and said: I am 9 weeks pregnant and going to the emergency room at McKay Dee... and then I hung up the phone, she wanted to KILL me) It was one of the scariest days I can ever remember, it goes right up there with my Mom's cancer. Anyway, everything seems to be going okay now, but I am always scared... I wish I wasn't, but I am.

-Excitement: The thought of having a little family of three is just the best thing.  I am excited to see how we work as a family and how our lives will change and how we will become stronger and better... to see the moments of break down and stress, I know it is going to be hard... that's why Heavenly Father makes babies so cute, so we don't get mad when they wake us up every two hours to feed them and change them. I am so excited to see its personality, to see what it's going to be and look like, to see how it will grow... there is just so many things to look forward to. and I feel like it is baby season, I know SO MANY pregnant people. I am so grateful that we have this opportunity, unfortunately I am not one of those women who handle pregnancy with grace, I am a wuss. I have been sick. I stay home a lot because, everything smells bad, people, food, clothes, cars, everything. But I couldn't be more excited to be given this chance, I am so excited/scared to be a Mom and I hope I do this baby justice... it will come here perfect and I hope I can help it to grow into an amazing person.

That's all for now.

xoxo,

Kelli+squishy tiny human.