This Unfamiliar Road

December 28, 2012

Peyton's First Christmas!

When I became a parent, I suddenly forgot how to take picture of anything but my child. So, here is Christmas: starring Peyton

Picking out my first Christmas tree

Putting the angel on the tree

Mommy and me waiting to see Santa...I was very sleepy

We took the opportunity to get a family photo!

Having a chat with the big guy

Christmas shopping is exhausting!

So pretty

I got to participate in annual Christmas cookie decorating!

A 16 year tradition

Opening my first present!

Aunt Laurel & Aunt Maya

My cousin Emersen

Merry Christmas!

December 11, 2012

Peyton Eats a Lemon

Andrea 10:50 PM 0 Comments

A picture tells a thousand words...

# Food # Peyton

December 10, 2012

It is hard to believe that we have already reached this milestone. Half a year has flown by! Peyton has experienced a lot of 'firsts' in the last month-her little world is changing quite a bit. Our easygoing baby has adapted to all of it-and continues to be the happiest baby!

6 months old!

Shirt via Southern Stamp Embroidery

Eating: On average, I will say about every 4 hours

Sleeping: Overall, Peyton is an excellent sleeper. I have focused so much research on the importance of healthy sleep for babies, and I think we're doing pretty good.
-No more 30 minute naps! P typically naps for over an hour!
-Nights are a different story...Peyton still wakes up randomly. She's not hungry, and I don't think she even wants company. I honestly believe that she wakes up in between sleep cycles and just can't get herself back to sleep on her own. I replace her pacifier and "re-swaddle" her, and before I get back to my bed, she's asleep again. This can occur up to 3 times a night though...I'm exhausted! Once again, I'm just not ready to let her CIO.

Favorite Toys: A soft caterpillar toy (from The Hungry Caterpillar) and anything she's not supposed to have...my phone, the remote, her socks, her diapers, straws, forks...you get the idea!

Skills: Although P is not yet sitting up on her own, she likes to sit unassisted in my lap, and lean over to grab things. Her fine motor skills are still quite impressive, and we started working with her on Baby Signs this week! Our starter words are: Mommy, Daddy, Water, Milk, and More. I can't wait to see her signing!

Happy Times: Peyton still likes her jumperoo, but her favorite thing is to be out of the house. Running errands, taking a walk, visiting friends/family-in the stroller or Moby wrap-she just loves to see it all!

Unhappy Times: Tummy time is still a challenge for us. I don't think she will ever crawl! Getting dressed/a diaper change can sometimes turn into an issue. She prefers to be nude!

1 month-6 months

Stats: 16 lb 14 oz (75%) and 26.9 inches (90%)

Peyton has almost outgrown all 6 month clothes and wears mostly 6-9 and 12 month (depending on brand of course!)

Peyton Caroline,

It's hard to believe that half a year has already passed since you came into our world, changing it forever. We can't even remember life without you...nor do we want to! It's so much fun to see your face light up when we walk into a room, and we hope you continue to adore us even in your teenage years (yeah right!)

We love you to the moon and back.

Momma and Daddy

# Milestones # Peyton

December 07, 2012

Big Girl Food

Andrea 1:35 PM 1 Comments

Peyton enjoyed her first big girl food a couple of weeks ago!

We have decided to make our own food. Yes, I see your eyes rolling. And I've heard it before..."We'll see how long this lasts!" But that's what everyone said about cloth diapers too...and we're still loving them!
Homemade baby food & cloth diapers-I promise I'm not turning into a hippie. I like to know what's going in to my baby's body. And it's way cheaper! (Even when buying organic)

Ashley recommended I check out this site and I LOVE it! When reading about starting solids, I learned that cereal doesn't have to be the first food. So, we decided on sweet potatoes, then bananas the week after that. This week: avocados!

In my big girl chair!

Yummy!

Peyton loves to eat! And we've also started offering her sips of water from a cup. Not a sippy cup-an actual cup. It's quite entertaining to watch her drink from it!

I'll let you know how the avocados go :)

# Food # Milestones

November 19, 2012

It's Bittersweet

Andrea 12:39 PM 0 Comments

About a month ago, Ben called me from work (his one day in the office) and told me his boss pulled him aside to discuss his future with the company. About a week later, he was meeting with several department heads, and accepted a promotion. YAY...right?

Most people would be so excited to hear this news. I cried.

Of course, I am SO proud of Ben. He started with this company only 8 months ago, and has already receieved a promotion. I can't say I'm surprised-he always advances quickly. But this promotion means the end of working from home.

I was so completely overwhelmed at the thought of finding child care. How would she sleep at a daycare? Would they allow cloth diapers? Would she get sick a lot? Then I remembered that a former coworker had contacted me during my pregnancy about caring for 'Junebug'. I called Donna (who is a recently retired lactation nurse!) and asked if she was still interested. She was so excited that I thought of her, and immediately accepted this new role!

I am sad about a few things...I wish Ben could remain at home and continue to grow this incredible bond with Peyton. I wish Ben could remain at home to help me with her and around the house. I love that we can randomly go grocery shopping on a Tuesday morning.

However, I have come to realize that there are many more things to be excited about! The most obvious-Ben is advancing in his company, and he can only go up from here! A new place in the office will certainly allow him to continue to advance. He now has weekends and holidays off, so we can travel to visit friends more often! Peyton might be losing a little time with her Daddy, but she is going to create an amazing bond with her new caregivers. I can't wait for Donna to start!
I have to be thankful for the time Ben was able to stay at home, and how easy it made the parenting transition for both of us.
And I continue to be thankful that my job allows me to be at home 4 days a week!

Our new plan will be: Donna will come to our home 2 days per week to babysit (I think we may adopt the term 'nanny' though!) and on my third work day, P will go to either my Mom (Nonna) or Ben's Mom (Grandma G), rotating every other week.

I know everything will work out great, but please pray for us as we begin this new phase. I hope Peyton will adapt and not give her caregivers too much trouble.. :)

Me? Trouble?

# Family # Work

November 16, 2012

Dining Room Makeover

Andrea 9:00 AM 0 Comments

I really thought that our dining room would be last on our list of projects for the home...I mean, we have a perfectly good kitchen table, and who really uses their dining room anyway?

Well, after deciding to host a party and family Thanksgiving at our home this year, Ben and I agreed that it was a good time for a dining room makeover.

We had NO furniture in here, and this room was full of overflow junk from other rooms (seriously, how did we acquire this much stuff?!)

Before we moved in!

...and after a year

I knew I wanted a purple dining room, so we picked up a couple of paint samples from Lowe's and I chose right away! Aren't you proud?!

We went with the one on the left- Olympic Silverado

I figured I could get away with a deep/rich color in this room because there is very little actual wall space. We have chair railing in here, plus a large entry and two windows. I am SO pleased with how this color turned out!

Now, time to add some furniture! We chose a set that I love more and more every day! We went with a counter-height set, and although I wavered on this for a while, I'm glad we chose it. I think it brings a bit of 'modern' to the room.

Clearly, I still have a lot of decorating to do in this room, but the bulk of the work is done and I can take my time picking out special items as I see them.

Now I have a dining room that's ready for a family Thanksgiving!

# Home # Home Improvement

November 15, 2012

Low Country Boil

Andrea 3:27 PM 0 Comments

Every year around Thanksgiving time, our group of friends gets together to celebrate the upcoming Holidays...and we just enjoy spending some time together. It all started 5 (maybe 6?) years ago when most of us were working at the country club. We were all in different states for school, but came home for Thanksgiving break, so we took the opportunity to get together.
Now, even though we all live near each other, we really look forward to this party every year. Last year, Ben and I made our baby announcement at the party (and believe me...this year, we had lots of anxious stares for more exciting news! Seriously? Give us a year or two!)

Ben was set on a Low Country Boil-and it turned out great!

Preparing the boil!

I spy crab legs...yum!

What a fun spread

After our feast!

Remember my Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies?

I turned them into cupcakes and added cream cheese frosting- yum-o!

My little P bug

I love our 'ciwcle' of friends...and I can't wait to see what we get into next year!

# Friends # Holiday

November 05, 2012

Five Months

Andrea 9:44 PM 0 Comments

What. A. Month.

This has most definitely been the biggest month of developmental change for Peyton! It has been fascinating watching her discover the world around her. With that, however, comes a 'transitional' time.
For the most part, P is a super happy baby. She smiles at anyone, is very attentive, and laughs daily. But it seems in this transitional time, Peyton has become super frustrated with things.

Our five month old

Eating: For the sake of maintaining a routine, Peyton eats about every 3-4 hours.

Sleeping: Oh boy...I think this is where I have seen the biggest challenge this month. P went from sleeping 11-12 hours with one interruption to waking EVERY 3 hours to eat. I figured it was a growth spurt, but it lasted a week. Now, she wakes up randomly and doesn't want to eat, but it takes a while to settle her back down to sleep. I am not ready to let her cry it out. I'm not convinced this is a behavioral problem...again, I think she is transitioning!

She is beginning to consolidate her naps better, so hopefully the 30 minute naps will soon be a thing of the past. And Peyton now stays up for 3 hour stretches.

I think she is almost ready to be put on a schedule by 'clock time'. I have read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and The 90-Minute Baby Sleep Program. Any other suggestions?

Favorite Toys: A teething ring, and a bear 'blanket' with little tags all over. She has greatly improved on her fine motor skills and it is just amazing to see her work at a toy.

Months 1-5

Happy Times: Almost always :) Bath time is still a favorite; Being in the jumperoo provides a lot of entertainment (for P and us!).

Unhappy Times: When Peyton becomes frustrated or bored. She has learned to arch her back. Oh boy

Sweet baby

Stats: 15.8 pounds (75%) and 28 inches (>95%) (Home measurements and online calculator)

She wears 6 month and 6-9 month clothing. And even some 12 month. Sheesh

P Bug,
Although this has been the most challenging month thus far, it has also been one of the most enjoyable. Every single day, your Daddy and I see you doing something new. It seems that you are learning SO much every day, so it's no wonder you get frustrated at times and have trouble sleeping. I hope that we are doing a good job of helping you explore this big world. It is such a joy to be your parents!

# Milestones # Peyton

Halloween 2012

Andrea 10:47 AM 0 Comments

Maybe it's the cooler weather, or the costumes & candy; Maybe it's decorating the house...but Ben and I LOVE Halloween!

This year, we decided to give out full-size candy bars, and they were definitely a hit! Because we live in such a large neighborhood with lots of kids, we like to keep a tally of our trick-or-treaters, so we can always be prepared!
Grand Total...117!

We Ben spent a lot of time decorating the outside of the house, then high winds spent about 30 minutes undoing everything he did. Oh well...we managed to get a few pictures!
(All of this was a lot creepier at night!)

Our Graveyard!

Ghostly Trees

Yum! (& Fruit snacks for little ones)

Ben and I dressed up as Leonard and Penny from The Big Bang Theory! Peyton was dressed as a ladybug. They didn't have any 'Junebug' costumes, so we thought this was appropriate!

My First Halloween!

We really had a great night passing out candy and socializing with the neighbors!

# Holiday

This Unfamiliar Road

December 28, 2012

Peyton's First Christmas!

December 11, 2012

Peyton Eats a Lemon

December 10, 2012

Six Months

December 07, 2012

Big Girl Food

November 19, 2012

It's Bittersweet

November 16, 2012

Dining Room Makeover

November 15, 2012

Low Country Boil

November 05, 2012

Five Months

Halloween 2012

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