sweetness.

yesterday i came home to this.

after teaching a room of preschoolers while having a splitting headache, this was exactly what i needed. some sweetness.

homemade chai.

(photo from the orignal post)

i saw a recipe for a yummy looking chai concentrate on the Tasty Kitchen blog. i knew i had to try it, so i went to Henry's to grab the spices (did you know you can measure out spices there so that you don't have to buy a whole jar?! it's my new favorite thing!), and then in true angelina style waited 2 weeks before actually making it :) i'm a working mama, i don't have a lot of time (that will be my excuse for everything). I followed the instructions exactly, except that i let it steep for a lot longer than it says to. it's darker than any concentrate i have ever seen, but still delicious! i actually really love the way it came out. i don't have any pictures of the batch i made because my photographer is slacking :) if you're a chai fan, i would highly recommend this recipe!

...i am enjoying an iced chai right now while little man sleeps and the snickerdoodles bake :)

a moment.

i love the way alex captures moments in our lives that i might otherwise forget. this is a new favorite.

giggles.

we took this video of micah yesterday. it was his first time in a big boy swing, and he loved it :)
i must say, his laugh is music to this mama's ears...especially when he's teething especially bad today.

first project.

i don't know if i posted it, but i got a sewing machine from alex's parents for christmas. for my first "real" project (one that i had to buy the fabric for and figure out all by myself), i spruced up some plain cloth diapers to be cute burp cloths for a mama-to-be. I think they turned out pretty cute for my first time. I made three, and the last one was definitely less wonky than the first one :)

i will be making a few more tonight for another new baby. Here is what I learned from last time ::

there is more ironing than actual sewing.
i definitely need to ease up on the perfectionism or i will never finish anything.
i need to pay attention to which way the pattern runs on the fabric.
there are not enough hours in the day for me to learn a new hobby, but i'm sure going to try!

the best way to start the day...

...is with this little man snuggled up next to you.


we loved the week break we got. what break you ask? oh the one week that we had our very sweet, very happy baby who wasn't sick or teething. the teething came back in full force today and it was rough for little man. it's so hard when we've tried everything and he still is in pain. it breaks my heart.

in other news...i just realized that i will be leaving my little guy overnight (2 nights even!) for the first time next month. sad, sad, sad. totally not ready, but it's a work thing and i have to go. hmmmpf.

guess this is a pretty nothing post. i guess i just really wanted to post that picture because it makes me happy. there we go...we'll end on a happy note :)

this guy...

...melts my heart.

eight months.

micah,

eight months feels old to your mama. like too old. like i feel like you were born, and then i blinked, and all of a sudden you're big! but to be honest, you are more fun every single day and i would go backwards for anything.

you have a scratch on your eye in this picture that i asked your daddy not to photoshop out because it tells a lot about this stage you're in. you crawl over to something, pull yourself up, play there for a bit, and then fall down. over and over again, this happens. it's fun to watch and at the same time, it's incredibly hard to not coddle you. mama doesn't like to let you fall, but she knows that sometimes you just have to. on the day you turned eight months, you had a fall that caused your bottom teeth to puncture your upper lip :( mama got the call at work and rushed right home to be with you and daddy. we eventually took you to the doctor because you just wouldn't stop bleeding. Dr. said you were fine and to expect lots more falls.

despite what it might sound like you are incredibly strong and balanced. we love watching you figure out how to get from the ottoman to the couch, and back again. sometimes i think you forget that you can't walk because you turn away from whatever it is you're holding onto and act like you want to go forward. you just fall forward. it's pretty funny for us to watch.

you had your first cold over the new year, and also went on your first eating strike. both caused you to eat less and sleep less. poor little buddy. your cold lingered for a solid 2 weeks, but you're back to your normal joyful self.

speaking of joy...that is the way everyone describes you...happy and joyful, and it's SO true. you are smiley and friendly with everyone you meet. you have your favorites, and you do get grumpy, but in general you are a very happy baby and even at the youngest of ages, you are full of joy. you are truly a people person and you especially love other babies and kids. i love watching you crawl right up to other babies and touch them...we have to remind you to be gentle and that other kiddos might not like you to grab onto them :)

our days consist of a lot of time on the floor and we can't take our eyes off of you for a second. your favorite toy right now is this car steering wheel that you got for Christmas. you also love your keys and anything you can bite on. more than anything, you like the things you aren't supposed to have...like a lip gloss container and an empty wipes case.

we so love being your mama and daddy. you light up when you see us and our hearts are full. we love to be with you and still can't quite remember what life was like without you...it must have been pretty boring without a little boy to chase around ;)

xoxo.

our little crawler

micah started real crawling on Christmas and really hasn't looked back! just this weekend, he started following us when we go ahead of him and call him towards us...here's a look at him coming around the corner being SO cute :)

Micah Crawling down the Hall from Alexander T. Pavone on Vimeo.

(i love my new flip cam!)

awake is the new sleep.

yep. this has been my motto for the past 12 days. twelve days of interrupted sleep. i am not used to interrupted sleep anymore, and i could not be more thankful that micah FINALLY slept through the night again last night. i couldn't help but start singing our family ministry anthem (aka the doxology)...."praise God from whom all blessing flow...."

let me tell you. this mama has had 5 months of uninterrupted sleep and i was about to go bonkers after twelve days....how did i survive 3 months?! oh wait, that's right, i slept everytime he slept for 3 months :) this whole get up and go to work thing got in the way a bit!

micah's first cold is the reason he hasn't been sleeping. being sick/teething again made him not want to eat which in turn left him starving around 4am!

my solution? dream feeding him twice after he goes to sleep. while he's asleep he doesn't have the same resolve to not eat. thank you dream feed, thank you.