two baby pumpkins.

On Monday we had big plans to take the boys to the pumpkin patch, but instead, we ended up at the Back Bay with our two real pumpkins, and our baby pumpkins :) Ryder and Micah were hilarious and I'm just glad that we got some cute shots because Micah was NOT happy (can we all agree that teething sucks?!). We love that the boys are only 5 weeks apart! Yay for awesome friends...and cute pumpkin babies!

five months.

micah, you are five months already! time really does fly! everyday we are seeing more and more of your personality coming through. you are a fun, energetic, busy boy. we're finding more and more that you need a little bit of time to warm up to people before you flash that big gummy grin. We love that when we come home from work, you have big smiles and big laughs for us. You get so excited to see us, and it melts our hearts.

you are still crazy strong...just today, your gongi found you trying to pull yourself up by holding onto the side of your crib. i guess it's time to lower your mattress! you are rolling more and more and if we turn our back for a second, you roll across the entire room! multiple times a day we find you up on all fours...i'm still thinking you're going to be crawling soon!

i love your sweet nature and really, everything about you. we feel so grateful to have you in our lives and sometimes we forget what it was like before you came to us!

rambling.

I'm not going to lie...it's not easy being a working mama. I have said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, "My mom is amazing." I am so much more aware now of the sacrifices my mom made for us. She always worked a full time, get up at 4am, not loving the work but needing the money kind of job. I am thankful that my reality is different. I am thankful to work a job I love, in a position I feel called to, with people I adore. I am thankful that my hubby and baby are with me for 2 of my 5 work days, and that I get to have lunch at home with Micah every day.

Even still, there are days when it's just plain hard. Take Friday for example...my little man woke up from all of his naps with both hand in his mouth screaming. He was clearly in pain and nothing (and i mean NOTHING) was helping. So we cuddled, rocked, and sang our way through the day and I tried to get things ready for the ONE preschool event I have! Of course it had to coincide with Micah's worst day of teething thus far. When it was time to pack him up to go set up for our event, I was in tears. I felt like the worst mama. What kind of mom packs up her kid when he's crying and in pain?! My mom was working, and Alex was also at work so I was on my own. We loaded up, and God definitely heard my prayers. Little Man loves to be close to his mama so I put him on my back in my rented Beco Gemini and went to work.

(here's micah passed out on my back)

He ended up doing amazingly well. My little guy always pulls through...he's a champ. God definitely answered my prayers because my mama guilt was running deep that night, and I don't know if I would have made it through the night without a meltdown (of my own) if my boy had a rough night.

All of this back story to simply say this :: being a mama has taught me more about dependence than I ever thought it would. I am remembering to consult "first in charge" about EVERYTHING (that's a little Spiritual Parenting shout out :) )I am so thankful that I don't have to do this alone. I am thankful that I know that my God created me to be Micah's mama, and that my King has called me to this team that I am privileged to be a part of. I know that I will never be forsaken, and that each day goes according to His perfect plan. I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I will just pray that whenever something needs to change or shift, I will be so in tune with first in charge that I will know where and how to follow Him.

(this post might not make any sense to anyone but me, but i needed to type it out even if just for me :))

check out Micah's onesie

It's kind of hard to read, but it says, "I am being spiritually parented." It's awesome, and I love it!

I also love the leg warmers which were debuted today! Surprisingly, Alex didn't kill me when he saw them :) He actually said, "I hate that I don't hate them. I hate that I think they're cute on him." I'm hoping that Micah will be the ambassador for boys wearing them :)

Halloweenie!

Last week, we had our 3rd annual Halloweenie party...It was fun to get our family together for a fun night of food and pumpkin carving fun. Here are some shots from the night ::

can you tell how tired my poor baby is? There was so much excitement that he stayed awake far too long!

cravings

I have been having a craving for the past two days. The worst part of this craving is that there is NO way to satisfy this craving. Usually if you want something, it might not be convenient to get it, but with this, I CANNOT have it without traveling thousands of miles!

You see, while I was in Hawaii, I fell in love with this ugly looking guy ::

His name is oatcake, and I love him! I can't even describe to you how it tastes because it's so unique. There's a hint of honey mixed with the oaty goodness. This guys is DENSE. He's thick and hard to get down without a drink...preferably a warm chai latte....mmmmm. The biggest problem with this guy is that he only lives in Starbucks on the island of Oahu. None of the neighboring islands even get to have him! Somebody mentioned to me that they've been searching out a recipe for an imitation oatcake and since they mentioned it, I can't stop thinking about it. So, until I convince one of my friends on Oahu to send me one, I'll just keep dreaming!

makeover

Alex made this beautiful bed for us. We put so much time and energy into Micah's room that we have pretty much neglected our room since we moved in to this apartment, but with this awesome addition, I'm really happy with our room now! I am so thankful for a husband who thinks so creatively and is super talented (among many other things...). Thanks Alex, you are the best!

for the record...

Alex has been telling people that I want to put Micah in jeggings. This statement is false! He has been confusing jeggings ::




...with babylegs ::



BIG difference. BIG.

babylegs, or no babylegs?

This has been a hot topic around our house. With cooler weather on the horizon, I've been really drawn towards babylegs (i'm pretty sure Babylegs is just the brand, but they're basically baby leg warmers). Now, my dear husband (and all of our guy friends...and some of our girlfriends...) pretty much hates them and thinks they're super girly. Of course, my argument is that Micah is a BABY...not a little kid, not a man, but, a BABY. I think they're absolutely adorable, and I finally convinced Alex to let me get some to go under Micah's Halloween costume. The ones I ordered have already been shipped and I can't wait to try them on my little guy! You can be sure that this pair is the gateway pair. I know I'm going to love his chubby thighs in them and then I'll be hooked! Look out Alex, the babylegs are coming!

And for all you haters out there...just check out these cute baby boys!!


(all the pictures are from etsy sites-can't remember which ones though...oops!)

welcome!

Today we are welcoming the first signs of fall...cool weather with a rain shower here and there! This is our favorite time of year for so many reasons, but one of the main things for me is that this time ushers in the Holiday Season! I love fall tastes (who can resist pumpkin everything?!), fall scents, cuddling up, and decorating over and over again through the next few months. I am excited to start celebrating a lot of first holidays with Micah!

Today, Happiness was wearing my new aqua slicker (that I've been dying to wear since July!), my black boots, and arriving home to find a cuddly baby who just wanted to be rocked by his mama.

seriously?!

I didn't know it was possible for a kid to be this cute!! Loving this sweet moment that his daddy captured. Totally in love.

just say no?

Since little man has started the very early stages of teething, we've been introducing different things to try to soothe his poor little gums. Thankfully, we've had only a few really hard days, but i'm still working on finding toys/products that will help our little guy because I know that more is coming! This little guy is his current fave...
I've come across quite a few necklaces and bracelets for mama that are safe for baby to use to suck/bite on while they're teething (something like this). At first I thought that it was brilliant...babies love to grab on anything that comes within arms reach for them and then everything goes in the mouth so why not buy something that looks cute AND is functional?! But the more I think about it, I wonder if that's a brilliant idea or if it will just make things harder down the road...is it better to know that your baby is going to try to eat your jewelery so you buy a specific piece that they are allowed to teethe on, or to teach them not to grab onto mom's necklace and take it away from them when they do? hmm....food for thought...

so happy!

around this house, we watch a lot of TV and are so happy that the summer hiatus of new shows is over! i'm generally a homebody and when you add in a job that brings alex home close to 6:30/7pm each night and a baby with a bedtime into the mix, we're pretty much home by 8 every night and that's prime time to catch up on shows in our DVR. Alex and I watch a lot of the same shows, but I definitely have a few reality shows that he's not super excited to watch :) Here's the tops on our list this fall ::


and there are a few i enjoy on my own....Brothers and Sisters, Law and Order: SVU, Sister Wives, Raising Sextuplets...what can I say, I watch a lot of television :)

my friend Etsy

I figured after my last post about my sweet etsy finds that i would share some of my current favorites.

Etsy angelinarene Three things you can tell from this... 1. i am looking for an awesome tie for micah 2. i'm obsessed with baby boy accessories....who says girl mamas get to have all the fun?! 3. i am very into headbands right now. with micah pulling my hair all.the.time. i am trying to find some cute ways to accesorize a ponytail/bun!

favorite

Micah's favorite toy is his crinkle square...he plays with it constantly. I was determined to find one and there were so many on etsy to choose from that I just had to get two! I am SO glad that I did because this is the first one I bought...
While I love the fabric, the actual "crinkly" sound is pretty weak. and it's a little small for my little guy to actual hold on to for any amount of time. He actually flings it up by his face and then either forgets that it's covering half of his face or doesn't remember how to hold it to get it down so he does what anyone would do and plays it off like he doesn't care that it's just hanging on his head. :)

The second one I bought is my favorite (and his)...it's larger, has quite the crinkle sound, and has minky fabric on the back side!

Love it.

four months.

I'm a little late on his four month post...partially because of my internet fast, and partially because I haven't been feeling 100% this week. bummer.

so on to the good stuff....

micah,
once again, I can't believe that another month has passed! this month you started rolling over which was a very big deal for us! you actually started rolling over from tummy to back on the 7th which was just before you reached four months, and today you mastered back to tummy! we love your laugh which you are doing more and more often. you also started being ticklish this month with the sweet spots being under your right arm, and right under your neck. you are crazy strong (and you should be since you weigh in at a whopping 17 lbs!) and along with rolling over, you scoot yourself off the blanket multiple times a day! You prefer "standing" and pull yourself to a standing position whenever someone holds your hands. I have a feeling that you'll be crawling early.

you are becoming more and more interested in toys. right now your favorite is your crinkle square (a big thanks to gina and ryder for recommending that one!), and your teething ring that you so often wear as a bracelet :) you also went in your jumper for the first time and loved standing up but get tired of it pretty quickly. you also got a new jumperoo that you are learning to love.

you continually bring us more joy and while it makes your mama a little sad that you're growing up SO fast, I am loving each new stage with you. I love the way you light up when we smile at you, and I actually love the way you are a little shy with new people (or people you don't see all that often)because it reminds me of...well...me! Sometimes it makes us laugh at how quickly you change from laughing to crying. That's why we call you "light switch." You love when we sing to you, even though neither mommy nor daddy has a good singing voice. I am trying to bust out all of my little kid songs for you and your favorite is Skidamarink...we sing it often, and usually a little bit of singing will calm you down when you're fussy.

you are adjusting well now to being with daddy and gongi while mama is at work. you'll take naps with them and even gave daddy a nice long 2 hour nap today! that's a big improvement from the past few weeks. you are such a big boy, and i am thrilled that you are not having as hard of a time when mama is gone. my favorite days are the ones i get to spend entirely with you...from the time you wake up until you go to bed. Thankfully, there's more of those than the days I'm away from you...i might be a basket case if those were reversed! i love you and am excited for what the next month holds!

love,
mama

family resemblance

When Micah was first born, it was hard to tell who he looked like. I think this is true for most babies. One thing we knew from the first moments he was in the outside world was that his mouth looks just like Alex's. When he smiles, he turns into his daddy! The older he gets, we are seeing a pretty significant resemblance to my dad. It's pretty cool to see the similarities. My parents have this set of four pictures of my dad from when he was a baby. He looks older than Micah in the pictures (we're guessing he's just around 1 year because he had already started to lose some baby chub), but baby Rene and baby Micah definitely look alike!

seek week.

Last week as a church body, we devoted the week to seeking God through fasting, prayer, and worship. We did this to, "pursue God together to declare to Him that He alone leads our community and that His presence sustains us in ways that power, clarity, and position never could."

Food was not an option for me to fast as what I eat directly relates to micah's food supply :) As I was thinking about the options, TV and internet were the two things that came to mind for me. TV would have been a great one for me, but that would also force alex to fast OR force us to be in separate rooms which I didn't want. For those reasons, I chose internet. Even with choosing internet, I was pretty specific...blogs, etsy, and facebook. I couldn't do the whole internet because I need various sites just to do my job. Even though it was less than a full week, I had a pretty great experience. My eyes were opened to some things that helped me to see myself through some different lenses...some good, and some not so good, but all helpful.

it is however nice to be back online :) i love me some blogs, etsy and facebook :)

stars.

This picture has nothing to do with this song...it's just crazy cute :)

this is a song that has always hit something deep for me. It really doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing when this song comes on my iPod or computer, (like right now as I'm prepping for the weekend) I can't help but stop and take in the lyrics. i get emotional every single time. every.single.time. Here are the lyrics for you.

Stars
David Crowder Band

you should see the stars tonight
how they shimmer shine so bright
against the black they look so white
comin down from such a height
to reach me now, reach me now

you should see the moon in the flight
cuttin cross the misty night
softly dancin in sunshine
reflections of this light
reach me now, you reach me now

and how could such a thing
shine its light on me
and make everything beautiful again

and you should feel the sun in the spring
comin out after a rain
suddenly all is green
sunshine on everything
i can feel it now, i feel you now

and how could such a thing
shine its light on me
and make everything beautiful

and you should hear the angels sing
all gathered round their king
more beautiful than you could dream
i've been quietly listening
you can hear 'em now, i hear em now

and how could such a king
shine His light on me
and make everything beautiful
and i wanna shine
i wanna be light
i wanna tell you it'll be alright
and i wanna shine and i wanna fly
just to tell you now
it'll be alright, it'll be alright
it'll be alright.

cus i got nothing of my own to give to you
but this light that shines on me shines on you
and makes everything beautiful, again.
it'll be alright, it'll be alright.

mini vacay

Last week we were able to get away to La Quinta for a couple of days with our friends Matt and Stacy. Matt's dad has an amazing house that we are always happy to go to! We left on Wednesday night and came back in time for church on Sunday. Even in such a short time, we were able to unwind and enjoy the time together. Micah was a champ! He didn't love the pool, but he didn't hate it either. And my very picky baby loved the a/c that Matt had pumping the whole time :)

family time in the pool::

hanging with matt::

stacy, micah and i...the paci was a MUST to keep him happy in the pool!

first time in the pool!

Rogue and Stacy hanging in the pool ::

"i'm ready for the pool mom"

Hope you enjoyed the last bit of summer....today it was jeans, boots and a sweater for me...fall is our favorite season and we weren't sad to say goodbye to summer!

geting his roll on.

Micah just started rolling over!! So far he can go from tummy to back, and he's almost going from back to tummy, he's just not quite there yet. i can't believe how quickly my baby is growing!

bffs

3 months.

my baby boy is three months old and i can hardly believe it. he is such a joy and i can't believe how quickly he's growing! He's a big boy...at his 10 week appointment, he weighed in at 14lbs. 2 oz, and was 24 inches long...so I imagine he's right around 15 pounds now....the same as his buddies who are a month ahead of him!! his hair is getting longer and longer, and his cheeks are getting rounder and rounder :) we love our little man and this was a big month for him!

micah,
this month you have been entertaining us with your constant talking and you kill us with your big gummy grin! You have gotten a lot more control of your neck this month, and just started enjoying your Bumbo chair! mommy is thankful that you still like the Moby wrap because she loves to have you so close to her! we had a big transition this month as i went back to work, and you've been spending two days a week with Gongi, and one day with daddy. It has only been two weeks and you are still adjusting. you are very opinionated and won't let gongi put you on your mat or in your swing...we think it's because that's where mommy puts you! you also don't sleep well when mommy is away, but we're hoping that you will get used to the new routine soon and will sleep better for Gongi and daddy! You were however a champ at church last weekend and did GREAT through all three services....you happened to sleep through the entire 11am service! We love the sweet boy that you are and have so much fun being your mommy and daddy!

me and my boy

love.

i made it...

i made it through my first week back to work. to be completely honest, it wasn't as bad as i expected it to be. i didn't cry at all at work, but some of the nights were tough just knowing i was going to have to leave him again the next day. the hardest part was seeing how much micah was affected by the change. he didn't nap well on the days my mom was here, which was a major bummer for him. he was super tired when i got home and pretty much wanted to be in my arms the whole evening...which i didn't mind, i just felt bad that he was thrown off his routine so much. his day with alex was pretty smooth, and then it was over...no more leaving him for four days!

my days off didn't exactly go as i had hoped...all i wanted was to spend the day at home with micah and instead, i ended up at the dmv (thanks so much dmv for not sending me any sort of paperwork so that i had to spend 3 hours waiting to renew my license!), at the dentist, and then at a baseball game. not exactly the relaxing day i was dreaming of!! friday ended up not being great either as i had a major headache all day and nothing helped! thankfully it was as if micah knew i wasn't feeling well and was extra sweet all day!

micah was a champ for weekend services and i don't think we're going to have a hard time having him at church on the weekends. i'm so thankful that he can be with me! eventually he'll go into a classroom for one service to break things up a little, but i'm not quite ready for that yet :)

i've gotta say...i am truly blessed to have a job i love, where i get to work with people i love and to spend my time away from micah working towards something i totally believe in...all the while having an amazingly supportive family at home!

update :: micah was able to sleep better while he was with my mom today...so thankful he was able to rest and is hopefully adjusting to our new schedule!