Half a year, could it be?

Yes, that time has arrived.  Six months old.  Six months ago almost to the minute, I had just delivered my beautiful baby girl.  On the one hand that time seems so long ago because of how much my life has changed, but on the other I feel like these 26 weeks have passed in the blink of an eye.  Morgan is healthy, happy, and changing so much each day.  Brad and I feel so blessed and proud to have her in our lives.

 As you can see from the picture, Morgan is sitting now, mostly on her own.  She gets wobbly after a while, especially if she loses focus or tries to watch Waylon as he runs all over the room.  Teething has definitely begun, but no teeth have cut through yet.  She loves her Sophie the Giraffe and her frozen teething rings to soothe her gums.  She just figured out yesterday how to roll from one end of the room to the other.  Looks like baby-proofing the house is in the very near future. 

I feel the need to share the following story because I have a feeling that I am just one of many moms who have experienced this.  Mom and I went shopping yesterday to spend my birthday money on some much needed new clothes.  I am embarassed to admit I actually still own (and sometimes wear) items that I have had for over 10 years.  In fact, I still have a pair of cheerleading shorts from MIDDLE SCHOOL that I regularly wear.  The elastic in the waist is shot, and the cotton is so soft.  By far the comfiest shorts in the world.  Brad loves to joke about how many clothes I have, but I quickly remind him that it only LOOKS like I have a lot of clothes because I don't get rid of stuff.  I have plenty of friends whose summer wardrobe puts my entire wardrobe to shame. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about this.  Fashion has never been my cup of tea and I really don't consider myself to have a "style."  Anyways, back to my story.  I desparately needed some updated clothing because stuff either didn't fit, was terribly outdated, or was just plain age-inappropriate (no, it is not okay for a 25 year old to wear a rhinestone encrusted halter/tube top from Charlotte Russe).

                                                                     (yes, this is the one)

We started off in New York and Company and I was trying on some jeans.  I think you know where this story is heading.  Jeans were a difficult purchase for me before having a child, so my new body made it even more challenging.  I called out to my mom to go grab me a size 8, because the 6's made me look like a busted up can of crescent rolls.  She called back that those were the 8's.  GASP.  Why is it that as women, we care SO MUCH about the number printed on a pair of pants?  Tears started welling up in my eyes, but I decided I wasn't going to let it ruin my day.  Rather than trying on the 10's, I decided those jeans just weren't for me, and asked my mom to grab me a pair of black slacks (a girl's best friend according to Stacy London).  The 8 petite fit perfectly, and I went back to trying on some cute tops.  We ended up having a very successful shopping trip (about 7 tops and a pair of size 8 jeans from The Limited).  I guess the moral of my story is that motherhood changes a woman in so many ways.  We become more patient, we can multitask like no one's business, we put others before ourselves day after day, and even with these wonderful and positive changes, we tend to focus on a few extra pounds and curves.  The old me would have spent all day crying over my size 4's and XS's, but not the new me.  This body may not be perfect, far from it, but it grew a beautiful healthy child, and continues to feed her everyday.  If that isn't something to be proud of, I don't know what is.  Now I'll leave you with a quick video that is sure to put a smile on your face!

Milestones, Vacation, and House Projects!

Just looked back at my last post and realized it has been exactly 1 month since I last blogged.  I have been dying to post some important Morgan milestone updates, as well as our first family vacation to the beach!  Without further ado...

Milestones!  Morgan is almost 6 months old (just typing that is making it more real for me).  She develops more personality with each passing day, and let me just tell you, she may look like her Daddy, but she acts just like me (not sure yet if that is a good thing or not).  She is very sassy, giggly, and I have never seen someone so cranky when they are sleepy, except for myself.  Those little hands are on everything these days.  She loves to reach out and grab whatever catches her eye, be it my phone, my hair, my earrings (ouch!), or her ever-growing stash of toys.  While we were on vacation, she started hinting at wanting to sit up, aka, she would fuss whenever she was put down on her back or tummy.  In the past when I have attempted to sit her up either with assistance from me or the Bumbo, she showed little interest.  After just a few tries of plopping her down in the sitting position, she has really gotten the hang of it.  She can sit completely unsupported for 10-20 seconds, sometimes even longer.  Way to go, Morgan!  In other milestone news, she is still sleeping in her crib, and still waking me up SEVERAL times a night.  I am hoping this phase ends soon since I will be back to work in just 2 weeks.  We are still working on feeding her rice cereal, and I am not sure if I am having a harder time with it than her.  It just seems too soon to be feeding my little baby actual food with a spoon, but I know it's best for her.  I am excited to try her on some other foods, and I am hoping she likes them!  Also, I am thrilled to announce that Morgan's Halloween costume has been ordered.  No, I am not making it myself as I do not sew and do not possess any crafty genes whatsoever.  Regardless, I am super stoked about it and can't wait to get her all dressed up.  Here it is!!  http://www.target.com/p/infant-this-lil-piggy-costume/-/A-14047910

Vacation.  Ahh how the meaning of that word changes once you have a child.  We went to Oak Island Beach, NC this year, where we have never gone before.  We normally go to Topsail Island, NC, but the family decided to change things up.  We stayed in an oceanfront condo with Brad's grandparents.  First of all, it is AMAZING how much crap you have to take on vacation for one child.  We had the bed of an F150 slam packed with the Pack N Play, bouncer, tent, umbrella, toys, clothes, etc.  Looks like once we have more kids we will be renting a Uhaul.  On top of having all the stuff, we had a very modest sized condo for 4 adults and a baby.  The bed took up so much room that we had no room for the Pack N Play.  Thank goodness I decided to bring the Rock N Play just in case.  Morgan's feet practically hang out of it, but she slept in that thing all week.  I was a little worried about the weather due to some gloomy forecasts for the area, but it ended up being beautiful all week.  We took Morgan onto the beach a few days, which was a ton of work.  Hauling the tent, chairs, umbrella, towels, water, toys, bouncer, and baby is no easy task.  And after all of that hard work, it turns out Morgan is not much of a fan of the beach.  Just like her Mommy, she does not like being all hot and sandy.  Once Brad and I figured this out, we decided we would go down to the beach in shifts so that we could relax while the other watched Morgan.  Brad's grandma was a ton of help too, since she didn't like to stay on the beach too long either.  Next year I am hoping that Morgan will enjoy herself a little more so all the work will be worthwhile.  Overall, we did have a nice trip.  Most of all, I enjoyed having an entire week to spend with my husband.  He truly is my best friend and we have so much fun together.

House projects!  We finally got a reasonable estimate for some interior paint work, so we will be getting the downstairs, upstairs hall, master bedroom, and bathroom painted the week I go back to work.  All of the walls are currently white, so I am very excited to have some color in this house.  Once the walls are painted, it is GO TIME for decorating.  I can't wait! 

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer!