3 Months

Age: 3 months

Size: Still fits into 0-3 month width-wise but he's too long for most of them now so we've moved some things up to 3-6 months(which are way too wide for him).

Diapers: Just moved to size 2.

Eyes: Still grey but they look like they're turning slightly greenish in the center.

Hair: The hair growing in underneath his newborn hair is lightening up, but still brown.

Sleeping: Wasn't doing too bad. Up twice a night to eat. Then daylight savings hit and let's just say we're still adjusting with a cranky baby and a sleep deprived mom. I now have a new understanding of why parents with young kids despise daylight savings time so much.

Eating: Goes through phases where he hates to nurse but other than that pretty good! Nursing about every 2.5-3 hours right now and if I try to feed him any more frequently than that I end up having quite the angry baby on my hands.

Milestones: This kid has really discovered his voice lately and is giggling, squealing, and making all sorts of noises. He's also discovered his fists and they rarely leave his mouth.

Healthy pumpkin smoothie

Fall is upon us and so is the season of pumpkin-flavored everything. I make this smoothie about once a week throughout the entire year because I love it so much but I find myself making it almost daily during the fall. Something about convincing myself that it's more appropriate this time of the year. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

1/2 c. pumpkin puree

1 small to medium size banana

1 packet stevia

1 tbsp. honey(or to taste)

1/2 c. almond milk or regular milk

1 cup crushed ice

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie seasoning(or to taste)

pure vanilla extract(a few drops)

Add-ins(optional)

1/2 c. oats

2 tbsp. flaxseed

2 tbsp. plain greek yogurt

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie seasoning. Throw on some mini chocolate chips if you're feeling daring. Makes one large serving.

Fall in Virginia

Apple cider donuts are heaven sent.

Fall in Virginia is a beautiful thing. The soft greens of summer are replaced by vibrant shades of Autumn painted all over the city. The colors come on suddenly and brilliantly and are gone far too soon. There's a line of cars a mile long through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to try to catch a glimpse before the leaves fall. The suffocating heat is replaced by cool, crisp mornings and chilly evenings. A sense of hope and excitement hovers in the air as stores start to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. People stand up a little straighter and if you look just right you can almost see a new spring in their step. The scarves are dug out and the boots are put on. You can find a pumpkin flavor added to just about every item on the shelf. The orchards are stocked full with their famous apple cider donuts. And these only start to scratch the surface of what it means to experience this season here.

When I lived in California the air grew cool in the fall but there were no other outward signs of change. When I lived in Florida the air stayed hot and the trees stayed green. So Virginia, we might not be on the best terms all the time and as time goes on I'm going to grow restless of your too small mountains and overpriced cost of living. But for now I think I'll keep you around because I might just be falling in love.

2 Month Update

Behold the many faces of Kai.

Age: 2 months

Weight/Length: 13lbs 1oz! (65th percentile), 23.5in (70th percentile)

Size: 0-3 month 

Diapers: Size 1

Eyes: Greyish blue

Hair: Dark brown

Sleeping: Better! On average the first stretch of the night he goes 4 hours then after that he's up every 2 or 3 hours. Unfortunately though, he is the loudest sleeper ever so we still don't get much sleep.

Eating: (Same as last month -->)Pretty good when his stomach isn't bothering him. When it is, he squirms and writhes around like crazy while trying to nurse. Needless to say, we're both in pain.

Loves: Most of the same things as last month! We don't swaddle him anymore though. Overall he is finally becoming a much happier baby in general(thank goodness, my sanity was starting to go).

Hates: Once again, pretty much the same as last month.

Truthful tidbits from my not-so-put-together life

I've had quite a few people tell me that my life looks so put together. That it's picture perfect. Well my friends, this may be attributed to the unfortunate and all too common mask of social media. As proof, here are a few random tidbits from my not-so-put-together life.

Truth: When I was a kid I used to pray to God every night that I would have blue eyes. Every morning I would rush to the mirror to see if my prayer worked only to be disappointed to see my brown eyes staring back at me again. Thanks mom and dad for those brown-eyed genes. It was quite soul-crushing as a child.

Truth: My fingers are turning orange because I eat copious amounts of carrots and pumpkin and it looks like I have a bad spray tan. Oh well.

Truth: Before I had Kai I was obsessed with my dog and cat. Now they are literally the most annoying things on the planet. If you think you have pets more annoying than mine, you're wrong. Mine win. According to my sister, this too, shall pass...in about 8 more months or so.

Truth: Kai frequently throws up all over me(it's part of his charm). I wipe off my clothes with a cloth and keep wearing them. Again and again. Because if we're being honest why would I spend time washing them if he's just going to throw up on me again, right?

Truth: I'm obsessed with plants. I want to fill my entire house with them. But if I don't end up killing them myself(which is about a 50/50 chance) my stupid cat eats them all. Fake plants it is.

Truth: Right before I got pregnant I chopped off all of my hair because I figured if I didn't like it my hair grows super fast. Well, I didn't like it. And my hair has grown about an inch total in the 11 months since. Saddest thing of my life(insert belittling comment about my vanity here).

Truth: Ever since Kai was born I've wanted to bake ALL THE THINGS. So I excitedly look up recipes and buy all of the ingredients only to have them sit in my pantry untouched because who has time(or brain cells) to bake from scratch when you have a newborn at home?

Truth: I've already decided where I want to move next. Not because Virginia isn't lovely or we won't have a job here after grad school but after a year or two in one place I'm ready to move on to the next. Too bad moving all the time without a real reason is expensive, time-consuming, and just not practical. Adulting is hard sometimes.

Truth: People come to my house and always comment on how crafty and creative I am. I'm not. I'm just really good at following directions off of the internet.

Truth: From high school until about halfway through college I ran 5-6 days a week. I would wake up every morning dreading the run for that day and I hated it. One morning I woke up and decided there were other ways I could stay healthy and fit so I stopped running. I felt like I had finally been released from prison and it was one of the most joyous moments of my life.

Truth: Hair products don't work on me. Messy hair is my birthright.

Now excuse me while I go perusing through cyberspace, full of beautiful and talented bloggers, wishing my life was every bit as picture perfect as theirs. Oh, and here is a picture with Kai, since I know this is the real reason you all visit my blog in the first place. =)

Motherhood

Wednesday marked six weeks that we've officially kept a tiny human alive. That in and of itself, is an accomplishment in my book.

Motherhood is wonderful and uplifting and unimaginably fulfilling. It makes you think twice about the way you're living your life because you want to be the best person you can be for your child. It's also demanding and exhausting and downright hard sometimes.

Everyone tells me I just have to get through the first couple of months. That it will get better. Well, that's what everyone told me with pregnancy too. You just have to get through it and it will get better. I may be signing up for the worst mother of the year award by saying this, but there are times when I just wish he were a little older. That he could interact with us a little more. That he would sleep more than 1-2 hour stretches at night. That his little digestive system would mature so he wasn't quite so fussy all the time. But I don't want to turn my son's precious first few months on earth into something that I just have to "get through." I want to enjoy him while he's still tiny. I want to savor the moments when he looks to me to meet every need and calm every discomfort. I want to look forward to those exhausting waking hours of the night when it's just him and I forming a bond that only a mother and child could share. I want to be stuck on the couch while the laundry is piling up and the dishes need to be done because he fell asleep in my arms and my only priority is to memorize every little line and curve of his perfect sleeping face.

When all is said and done, the house can wait. My time right now doesn't need to be spent worrying about cooking a perfect meal every night, or having a spotless living room, or getting back into great shape right away. My time needs to be spent enjoying every moment with my son. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Because time has a way of stealing from us the moments we hold most dear. So I'm going to savor them while I can. And next time my little guy starts crying inconsolably and my mind is foggy from lack of sleep I'm going to hold him close and smile, because I'm lucky to be holding the best gift I've ever been given.

Some days I still feel sentimental about the times when responsibilities didn't involve keeping a tiny, helpless human alive and I didn't have to worry about having time and energy to wash my hair more than once a week. But most days I'm in awe of how he's drastically changed our lives in the best way possible. We joke about how, when he's older, he should thank me for all of the things I had to go through to get him here, but in reality I should be thanking him, because without him, my ordinary little life wouldn't feel quite so extraordinarily complete.

1 Month

Age: 1 month

Weight/Length: Not sure right now, we'll find out Wednesday, but he definitely isn't the skinny little baby we brought home from the hospital anymore!

Size: Still fitting some newborn but growing nicely into 0-3 months.

Diapers: Just moved to size 1 yesterday! Still a little big on him though..

Eyes: Dark greyish blue

Hair: Dark brown

Sleeping: Horrible. His digestive system is out of wack so he has stomach pain a lot of the time and this makes it hard for him to sleep. He's still up every hour or two at night and I'm up with him for 45 minutes to an hour each time(hello sleep deprivation). He takes little 15-20 minute naps during the day and is awake crying and screaming most of the evening(save me please). The only thing that will calm him down for a few minutes is bouncing with him on an exercise ball.

Eating: Pretty good when his stomach isn't bothering him. When it is, he squirms and writhes around like crazy while trying to nurse. Needless to say, we're both in pain.

Loves: Bouncing, music, gripe water, his pacifier, being swaddled, his rock n' play, tummy time, bold patterns

Hates: Getting dressed/getting his diaper changed, sudden loud noises(dog barking, Ryan sneezing(haha), etc.), stomach pain!