7 Months

I cannot believe it has been 7 months today since I was at the hospital dressing this itty bitty little baby to go home.

I wish I had taken more pictures or been better about writing down every single milestone that was hit. I wish I had kept a journal documenting my growing love for this boy. Most of all I wish I could have shared his pictures, name, and story with all of my friends and family.

What I am thankful for is that foster care has taught us what a gift each and every day is. It has brought us closure in our faith. It has forced us to treasure every single day with this boy because you never know when it will be his last in our home. It has taught me that love is not about DNA.

Some things you should know about A at 7 months.

• He has 2 adorable little bottom teeth.

• He is having a MAJOR sleep regression and may in fact not make it to 8 months. ;)

• He is going to crawl any second! I don't exaggerate. He gets up on hands and knees and rocks and even moves his legs in a forward motion. The second he figures out he needs to move those hands, it is over.

• His is not a fan of peas. This is ok with me because they smell absolutely horrible.

• He absolutely loves the dogs as much if not more than us. If we are on the ground playing with him and the dogs even come in his field of vision, he lights up like a Christmas tree and just laughs and laughs.

• He has started kicking his little legs at swim class when he is on his tummy. This makes mommy very proud because he is the youngest but the only one that does this. Not that it is a competition, but if it was, we are totally killing those other babies.

Mommy Fav's

I was never a serious shopping addict until I had a baby. Now it is my favorite thing to do! Everything baby is just so gosh darn cute and I must have it all. Thus my new series, Mommy Fav's!

The first Monday of the month I will review a few products I have been loving, and where you can get them. 

1. Boon Pulp Silicone Feeder- $5.99 

This little beauty is a favorite in our household. We previously had the self feeders that have a netting that babies chew/suck through and I hated them. They were difficult to clean and seemed to always have a funky odor. 

This feeder is easy to clean, a soft silicone texture, and a breeze to fill with foods. We do mostly bananas and avocado in here, but would love some recommendations for other goodies. 

2. Baby Banana Infant Training Toothbrush- $6.10

A got teeth two teeth the day before he turned 6 months. The first thing I did is run out and get a little baby toothbrush so we could start good habits now. First thing A did is grab the toothbrush and gag himself with it. Yes I could still do it for him, but I wanted him to start learning early to brush his teeth.

This thing does exactly what I want. I start us off with brushing his whole mouth and especially those two little teeth, and then I hand the toothbrush to him and let him "brush" for awhile. This mostly means he drools and chews on it a lot, but at least he is learning. 

The soft silicone is great for his sensitiveness gums, and the peel stops him from choking himself from pushing this too far into his mouth. 

3. Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper- $89.98

This is one of the best investments we have made. A LOVES his jumper. I don't know that I would ever get out the door without this thing. I can put A in this to play while I pack up the diaper bag and finish getting myself ready. 

Makeover

Now that I have decided to step up my blogging game slightly, I thought the blog needed a makeover. Small problem... I know nothing about html / templates / or anything web related. 

Please bare with me while a beg my baby sister for help. 

Baby Fashion Blogger

I am not, nor will I ever be a fashion blogger. 

Simply put, I have no fashion sense. I wish I was exaggerating, but I am not. Mark does a better job picking out my clothes than I do. I would wear the same black pants, blouse, and black flats to work every single day if I could. 

This is why I was not surprised when my darling son started to pick out his own clothing at 6 months of age. 

He normally has much more to choose from. Momma needs to do some laundry!

While I find this adorable now, I am sure I will seriously regret my decision to allow him to do this once he starts to pick out hideous combos and insist on wearing them, but for now it is absolutely adorable. 

Top 5 Things Anout Foster Care

One of the most common things I get asked by people who are looking at possibly becoming foster parents is how to you prepare for something like that. Long story short, you don't. No matter how many books you read or how many training classes you take, you will never be able to completely prepare yourself for foster care. 

That being said, I think there are things you can keep in mind to help get you in being ready for this crazy train. 

1. Have a strong marriage. 

Having a baby is not a way to solve any marriage problems. Starting foster care will absolutely not solve any marriage problems. Foster care will actually shine a bright light on any weakness (and strength) you have in your marriage. Don't even consider doing foster care if you and your spouse are not 100%.

2. You will get attached.

My absolute least favorite thing of all time is when I get asked, "How do you do it? I would get attached". REALLY? Of course you get attached and honestly, these kids deserve someone who is attached to them. I have yet to meet a foster parent that could not be 100% attached to their child no matter what the situation. 

The first week we had A I lost nearly 10 pounds because I was terrified that every single call was going to be someone calling to take him away. If they had, I would have been devastated. The reality is, they still could call today and take my baby away. I would be an absolute wreck. I can't even begin to imagine that. Am I going to not love him completely though, no. 

Unfortunately, heart ache comes with the job of being a foster mom.

3. People won't understand.

Even my most supportive friends and family just don't get it. No matter how many times i explain the process or explain why we are doing this, they don't get it. That is ok though. Until you have walked this road, I don't think you can get it. 

For this reason, find yourself other foster parents for support. They don't have to be people you know, or even local. I have mentioned before, my biggest support comes from a group of ladies I found on Instagram. It is approximately 30 of us and not a single one lives within 500 miles of me.  We are able to be open and honest with each other. It is an amazing relationship I hope lasts for years to come.

4. These kids are not like normal kids (in some ways).

Let me preface this by saying, these kids are normal kids who just need love and a safe place, BUT they have also been through things that most other children have not. This can leave marks physically and emotionally. Be prepared for that. 

With A, we got him as an infant so emotionally we didn't have as many issues, but physically our little man was a mess. He was sick, a LOT! I quickly used up all of my sick days and vacation days. Thankfully, it was never anything life threatening. We have made great relationships with his pediatricians office though and have even started ranking our local hospitals by which we prefer. Hopefully, this is not the norm for most 6 month old babies.

5. Be warned, you will want more.

If you go into foster care saying you hope to adopt 1 child, expect to adopt 3. I joke, but I am serious. Mark and I originally wanted to get in and out per say. We wanted to foster until we were able to adopt and then be done with it. We say it as a means to an end to build our family. Boy were we stupid.

These kids and their stories will change your life. You will love this crazy ride. Don't get me wrong, you will hate it at times. You will wake up some days and ask yourself why am I doing this. Then that story comes on that news that breaks your heart and you hear the child is in custody of Child Protective Services and you know, what you are doing is making a difference. 

With that being said, Mark and I would like to officially announce we are opening our home in May to a second foster child. We are going on the placement list for a child 1-3 years old. Yes we are crazy, but who ever had any fun being sane?

Our Solids Adventure

Considering the reasons A came into care, we have been so blessed that he has not had any major medical issues. What he has had is a string of minor issues that all together created a few too many trips to the ER and a LOT of doctors appointments. 

Since birth A has struggled with feeding. At first it was an under developed sucking reflex, then it was colic which was turned into some pretty bad GERD or acid reflux. He was spitting up 15+ times a day which was creating respiratory issues from the inflammation. He sounded like a pug when breathing. It was sad and everywhere we went I would get funky looks from people because he sounded like he belonged in a hospital (which we spent some time at too). 

Well as a result of all his breathing issues we were referred to a GI specialist for a swallow study. Basically we fed him different consistency of food a and they did X-rays while he ate them (I am sure someone in the medical field would say that is not at all correct, but that is what it looked like to me). Well basically he passed everything buy baby food. He aspirated that, which means basically it went down his airways and he made no attempt to clear is throat or cough it up. So we got a big NO on solids. 

Well speed ahead to the current day. A hit 6 months and it was like a magic wand was waived. All reflux medication stopped, breathing issues cleared up almost overnight, and he started to gain weight like a normal baby! With the GI's blessing, we are back on the solids. 

** We started closer to 4 months originally with our pediatricians blessing hoping to have him put on as much weight as possible. **

So now we are enjoying life with a relatively normal 6 almost 7 month baby (he still uses the 1 month old nipples on his bottles). He is LOVING foods and has a very healthy appetite.

So far his only dislike is avocado, but I think that is a texture issue more than anything. We have gone through just about everything available in the single food state 1 baby foods. I have even dabbled a little bit in making my own and will probably continue to do so on occasion.

Getting to Know Me

I have been thinking more and more about stepping up my blogging game and really making a commitment to start to post 2-3 days a week. The problem hasn't been lack of content (which was initially a struggle because of privacy issues with foster care), but lack of ability to take non stinky pictures. I know I am not working with a professional camera, but I should still be able to post pictures that don't look like they were shot with my cell phone. 

So while I work on learning my camera and actually taking it off the auto settings, let me tell you all about myself because I am sure you are just dying to know all about me. ;)

On a road trip with my husband trying to see how many pretzels I could fit into my mouth.

This is a completely random list of questions I found in 2.3 seconds with a simple Google search. If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask below. 

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Yesterday while watching, A League of Their Own. When they get the telegram saying that someone's husband has died at war... gets me every time. 

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yes. I actually spent a lot of time as a child practicing because I thought handwriting was very important. I was right. I get complimented on my handwriting at least once a week.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Boar's Head Blazin Buffalo Chicken. 

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Well yes I do. Hopefully I can keep a couple. ;)

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I sure hope so. Otherwise, I really need to examine my life and how I treat others. 

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Yes. Almost daily. In fact I debated answering this sarcastically but decided that was much too cheesy. 

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes, but I sure wish they would remove them. I am a sick little thing who gets strep or some nasty bug no less than 3 times a year.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Yes!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Honeycombs which is funny because I dislike honey.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Never. This would assume that I wear something other than flip flops or flats.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Mentally yes. Physically, not anymore. I have become a bit soft since my retirement from college athletics. More on this another day.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Almost anything Ben and Jerry's makes with the exception of coffee flavored.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Overall face. I work in a bank and spend all day comparing people's face with drivers license pictures. I have trained myself to remember someone's face when I greet them.

15. RED OR PINK?
Pink. Always pink.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My complete and udder lack of any self control.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My mommy. We were so close in high school and while we still are, I miss living in the same state. 

18. ARE YOU RELIGIOUS?
Absolutely. 

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black flats.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Norwegian chocolate my husband brought home from a client.  

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The wind blowing our big tree in the backyard.

22. ANY REGRETS?
Yes, but who doesn't have them. They made me the person I am today though and for that I am thankful. Do I wish I had handled things differently at different times in my life? Absolutely. 

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Fresh bread, fruity candles, and gasoline. 

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
The hubs.

25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?
Beach house, but a northern California beach house. The type that is just an hour or two south of San Francisco. They aren't the beaches you really go swim and play on. They are gorgeous rocky beaches with green mountains everywhere and fog. 

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Football baby! In fact, the Arizona Cardinals. 

27. HAIR COLOR?
Brownish with some red.

28. EYE COLOR?
Officially hazel, but I call it swamp. It is literally a green/lighter brown/ hint of blue blah color. It sound so much more beautiful than it is in real life. 

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Yes.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Bread and chocolate. 

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings for sure. We could ban all scary movies today and I would not lose a bit of sleep.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Ghostbusters 2 on Netflix

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
White and black stripped.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer forever. I would take 120 ANY day of the week over 50 degrees (which I consider absolutely freezing). 

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Depends who is doing the kissing/ hugging. Overall though, I am not really a real touchy person.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Ice Cream or cookies.

37. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?
Oh you mean I should work out? Cardio. 

38. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?
Computer.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

40. RANDOM FACT?
 I have been a competitive dancer, gymnast, and pole vaulter. I pole vaulted in college and even competed at the national and international level. 

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
Now that I have a child and I hear it every night on the baby monitor from the noise machine, rain. As a matter of fact, we had a sitter one night and my husband and I actually turned on the baby monitor and sound machine because we couldn't sleep without it. 

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
I guess Beatles, but I will be totally honest. I have the absolute worlds worst taste in music and I am ok with that. If a song isn't on top 40, I have likely never heard of it or I don't like it. Music is just not a big part of my life.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Australia twice. 

45. BOOKS OR MOVIES?
Books. Always books. I don't read nearly as much as I would like, but when I do I wonder why I haven't read more. Books take you to a place a movie could never. I totally have depression when I finish an amazing book. I spend the next few weeks day dreaming and re-writing the story or continuing it on in my head. 

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Las Vegas, NV

47. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?
Phoenix, AZ

48. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE?
Tan like every other house in the southwest.

49. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?
Silver

50. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 50 QUESTIONS?
Yes. I think most people enjoy talking about themselves to an extent. I figure if you are going to read things I write, you may want to know a few things about the writer. 

Enjoying the best of Ross with some girl friends.