Easter 2016

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Holidays are SO much more fun with a child! This Easter was certainly no exception. We had a blast celebrating this holiday with our family now that we're back in Georgia and Peyton!

Our Easter festivities actually started the week before Easter. Last Sunday, Ryan, Peyton, and I went to an Easter egg hunt/party in Brandon and Rachel's neighborhood! The hunt was supposed to be on Saturday, but it was moved to Sunday due to weather (which never actually happened). Luckily, the weather was beautiful on Sunday, so the event went down without a hitch! And the Owens/Waylander clan was in town visiting that day and got to partake in some of the Easter fun!

Mine and Ryan's Easter bunny appetizer 

After the Easter festivities, the babies both took naps while the adults hung out by the fire pit. Brandon cooked up some pork on the Green Egg and we had ourselves a feast for dinner.

On Easter Sunday, the next week, Ryan, Peyton, and I all woke up in my parents house (we had spent the night over there because we were out at Top Golf Saturday night with friends) to a couple fun Easter baskets.

That is one LOVED little girl!

We all got dressed up and headed over the Pinetree Country Club for a 10:30 brunch buffet. Ryan and I felt so lucky this year because we got to spend our Easter with our ENTIRE immediate family, which is pretty special. (Minus my dad, who signed up to work a swim meet not realizing it was Easter. He missed the brunch, but the meet ended early enough for him to drop by the club for some Easter pictures later in the day!) We shared brunch with my mom, Jake, Brad, Susan, Brandon, Rachel, and Leah. The food spread was unbelievable, but the company was better!

Now, back to the food. The club had literally everything you can think of for an Easter Brunch: Prime Rib, Ham, scalloped potatoes, mac n cheese, asparagus, rolls, salmon, omelette station, waffle bar, salad, bacon, chicken tenders, and more. Plus, they had an amazing dessert spread. Clearly, we did not leave hungry!

While we were eating, the Easter bunny decided to start making his rounds. He visited each table and handed out Easter eggs to the little ones. The egg hunt had to be cancelled since the weather was less than ideal.

Peyton has recently started developing a little stranger anxiety and cries when people she doesn't recognize hold her. As you can imagine, I didn't expect the Easter bunny to go over very well. To all of our surprise though, she LOVED the bunny. She was happy and smiley the whole time. Win!

After brunch, we walked outside to get some family pictures. The Easter bunny spotted us again and decided to join us. He handed Leah and Peyton a couple more eggs and posed for some pics for us. Such a sweetie bunny!

Peyton modeling her adorable custom-made romper from Gingham and Grace Etsy shop!

Leah, not so thrilled with the bunny, being reassured by Peyton. "It's okay, cousin, I got you!" 

 All in all, this was by far, my favorite Easter to date. We were surrounded by family and got to celebrate the holiday with our own little bunny. I hope everyone had a wonderful day as well!

Easter Photo Dump:

Day in the Life: 7-month Edition

So... I realize that a "day in the life" post is supposed to reflect a NORMAL day in our lives, but right now nothing is really normal. Also, I meant to do a day in the life post when P was six months old. Clearly, time got away from me again. Buying a house and moving is super time consuming. Luckily for us, we closed yesterday and are getting ready to make the big move this weekend, so life should return to the new normal soon!

This day in the life took place yesterday, Tuesday March 29, 2016. The day we closed on our first home. The home Peyton will grow up in. Enjoy!

My day started around 7 a.m. when Ryan woke me up to say goodbye before leaving for work. I like to get up before Peyton so that I have time to pump, eat breakfast, and take a couple sips of hot coffee on my own.

Peyton woke up around 8:15, got a diaper change, and drank her bottle. She drinks about 8 oz each bottle these days. Normally, after she finishes her bottle, we play in her playroom. But on this day, we needed to leave the house around 9:30 in order to get to the closing on time, so there wasn't much play time.

Peyton hung out in her bouncy seat while I showered and got dressed. I packed up her diaper bag and got all of our documents in order, and then we headed over to my parents house. My dad agreed to watch Peyton while Ryan and I closed on the house, so I dropped her off with him on our way out.

The closing went smoothly and required roughly 763498357 signatures from Ryan and myself. About an hour later, we walked out with a key to our new house! We gave the previous owners temporary occupancy for an extra day though, so we couldn't actually get into the house on this day. To celebrate, Ryan and I grabbed a semi-quick lunch at Applebee's.

 Ryan took me back to my parent's house, where I picked up Peyton and headed to Target to grab some supplies for our move. Unfortunately, they didn't have what we needed and P was in major need of a nap at this point, so I just headed home. Peyton went down for a nap at around 2:30, and I took advantage of the free time to get a couple last loads of laundry done before moving the washer and dryer to the new house. (On a "normal day" at home, Peyton goes down for a nap from around 11-1 and again at 3:30-5 or so. We've been rolling with the flow these past few weeks and napping when and wherever we can.)

Ryan's Aunt and cousins are in town this week from Rochester, NY. The Smith's decided yesterday to take a drive out to the cemetery to visit Grannie Abeln and Grandpa Smith. Since the cemetery is up by our current house, they swung by to grab the two of us on their way out at around 5.

After our visit, we caravanned over to Williamson Bros BBQ for an all-you-can-eat dinner! Ryan met us all here after work at around 6:30.

After dinner, we said our goodbyes and headed home to put Peyton to bed. P goes down around 8. Ryan gave her her bottle and put her to bed this night while I pumped and washed ten million bottles and pump parts.

We finished our night off by folding a couple loads of laundry, wrapping some furniture up, and bringing it out to the garage to make loading the uhaul go a little smoother on Saturday.

Phew, looking back I realize we had ourselves quite the day. Every season of life is different and we happen to be in a very exciting, albeit BUSY season right now! Stay tuned for some updates and pictures in the new house! Happy hump day, friends!

Peyton Eve: Seven Months

Another month in the books! 

This was a fun month for the Smith family. On top of all the fun milestones Peyton hit this month, we also bought a house! Big changes for all of us! Before I focus all of my attention on the little one, a quick update on the house. We close on March 29th, and assuming everything is smooth sailing from this point on, move in on April 2! We're super excited about this house... I mean it's most likely going to be the house that Peyton (and whatever future siblings she may have) will grow up in.

As I mentioned, P had herself quite a month. She is really turning into the smiliest, sweetest little babe and Ryan and I have just LOVED watching her grow and change. I've heard it all before, but I really do have to say that I feel like P is a different baby each month. While I sometimes find myself missing the little tiny babe that would fall asleep curled up on my chest and fit into the teeny newborn clothes that we just packed away, this new child that is full of energy and chats up a storm is pretty fun too.

Peyton at Seven Months: 

P is still pretty comfortably in her 6-month clothes, but I packed most of them away and pulled out the 9-month stuff because of the weather change. Most of her 6-month stuff was just a little too warm for this crazy Georgia weather! She's also still in size 2 diapers. She was supposed to have a doctor's appt. this morning to get her flu booster, but since she has been sick, it was postponed until tomorrow. I took it upon myself to plop her on our little scale to get an updated weight for the nugget! 

Weight: 15 lbs. 10 oz. 

Birth: 6 lbs. 10 oz.

I still just can't believe how fast she is growing! 

Peyton Loves: 

Pulling herself up from sitting to standing 

Playing in her playroom

THESE things 

Pears, carrots, and avocado 

Being outside

Going for walks in the Bob

Talking and singing 

Baths 

Her family

Peyton Hates: 

Sleeping without her sleep suit- We've tried this a couple of times now since it's getting so warm out. She falls asleep briefly and within minutes wakes herself up and starts crying. She also hasn't been feeling well so I think we're going to table this change for a little bit until she seems more ready. 

Laying on her tummy or back during play time

Getting dressed 

Getting her face and nose wiped 

What's New This Month: 

1. Peyton got not one, but her first TWO teeth this month! They literally seemed to come out of nowhere, but looking back there were definitely signs that I missed. The week she got her two teeth, I thought she had a pretty bad cold and a little fever so I was giving her Tylenol at night to help her sleep. Apparently, those are all symptoms of cutting teeth. Who knew? She's been dealing with a fever for a couple of days now so maaaaaybe she is cutting some new teefers again?! 

2. Homegirl figured out how to drink from a straw. I have a favorite water bottle that I constantly keep filled with water throughout the day. P loves to watch me drink and pretend to drink herself. It was the cutest thing ever. Then one day, when it was her turn to take a "sip" she actually did. The shock on her face was hilarious. I wish I had it on video! I got her her own water bottle with a straw that she still mostly likes to chew on. Every once in a while, she will suck up the water or milk in the cup and has gotten better at swallowing it rather than just spitting it out! 

3. P has been getting a taste for tons of different foods this month! We started her with mashed banana mixed with breast milk on her six month birthday. Since then, she has tried sweet potatoes, avocado, butternut squash, pears, apples, and carrots. This week, she will be trying green beans and blueberries! I'm excited to start mixing the flavors now that she has tried so many and introduce her to new combinations and textures! 

4. Peyton still doesn't really enjoy being on her tummy. I feel like she should be pulling up on her knees by now, but then again, every baby is different and mine just would rather be standing than crawling. I really think she might skip this step and just start walking in a few months. Do any of you mamas have any experience with that or advice on how to get my baby motivated enough to try and move while on her belly? (I know I should just embrace the fact that I can still set my child down somewhere and know she will still be there when I get back, but I'm excited for her to learn this next step in her development!) 

Peyton, we have enjoyed these past seven months more than you know! They are going by way too quickly. We love watching your personality grow and change and are so proud of you already. We love you, nugget! 

Seven Month Photo Dump: 

Peyton's Favs: 6 Month Edition

So, I've had this post written for almost three weeks now. Three weeks. That's how quickly time slips by these days. To be fair though, our days have been filled with the drama also known as home buying, which is a story for a different blog. 

Before P turns 7 months old, there are a couple of things I want to document and remember. This post will be dedicated to the wonderful products that have made our first 6 months of parenthood a little bit easier, whether it be by calming Peyton, helping her sleep, or engaging her in active play. These products were and are our go-to's right now and I really think every family with newborns needs each one of these! (This is not endorsed...just one mama trying to help some other mamas out!) 

Peyton's Favorites: 

• Cloud B Gentle Giraffe Sound Machine

 My grandma came to visit a couple of months ago and brought with her some goodies from my family in Florida. My cousin, Michelle, sent along some toys that her children picked out for Peyton and this giraffe was among them. As soon as we got this, I knew it was going to be a game changer. P has slept with a sound machine from day 1 and seems to find the white noise very comforting. Whenever she is in her car seat and I want her to take a nap, I would always place my phone in the seat with her playing a white noise app to help her fall asleep. Now, she has a snuggly giraffe to cuddle up to that plays white noise as well as a couple other fun sounds for non-nap car rides. This is probably my favorite "toy" of hers and literally every child needs one of these!

• Baby Banana Teething Toothbrush

Nana got this for Peyton (in corn on the cob form) and she LOVES it. It was easy for her to hold on to when she was first learning hand-eye coordination and perfect for teething. Plus, it has little bristles teach teeth-brushing (or gum brushing really!) Now, were at the point where, P will try to mimic me when I brush my teeth in the morning with her own little toothbrush and it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. 

• Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumparoo

This little jumper has been a life-saver. It keeps Peyton entertained and off her head (which was always a concern for us since the dr. mentioned she had a bit of a flat head at her 4 month appointment) while I get stuff done around the house. I swear she has lost brain cells from bouncing so hard! She can spend a solid 45 minutes in her jumper entertaining herself, which is like 4 hours in baby time! Definite must for all new parents! 

• Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Orchestra 

Guys, I don't know if you know this or not, but there are A LOT of extremely annoying baby toys on the market. Why does every toy need to sing the ABC's, or giggle, or say "I love you" in a possessed little chuckie-doll voice? Peyton's cousin, Leah, got this cute little turtle toy for her for Christmas and I have to say, its actually a really fun, engaging toy! It plays classical music only and has a button for each instrument on the turtle's shell that can be pushed to turn that instrument on or off. Peyton loves listening to the music and I like hearing the difference in the song with and without the different instruments! Win win. (And yes, I just admitted that a baby toy entertains me. This is my life now. Deal with it.) 

• Teething Jewelry 

If you follow me on Instagram (which you definitely should), you know by now that I LOVE accessorizing my baby. Cute little shoes, bows, and necklaces are just so much fun to mix and match! A couple of months ago, I received a teething necklace from an Etsy shop (Zack's Lucky Charms) and fell in love. The shop owner has so many adorable necklaces to choose from and Peyton loves chewing on hers. The shop tag is "They're safe to chew and stylish too" and that literally couldn't be more true. Love. Love. Love! 

• Magic Merlin Sleepsuit

I know I've already praised this little marshmallow suit on the blog before but I'm going to have to do it one more time because it definitely deserves it's place in this post. Peyton hated being swaddled, so as soon as she semi-fit in this sucker, we started using it. She immediately started sleeping through the night and we've never looked back. It has also been a huge help in getting P to sleep soundly when we're away from home. It's something that, when we put it on her, she knows it's time to sleep. Unfortunately for us, I think it's almost time to transition out of the sleep suit since it's getting so warm out. I'm going to be so sad to put this thing away, but grateful for the many sleep-filled nights it gave us during her first 6+ months.

I'm just going to finish this post with some of our honorable mentions. They haven't been life-changing, but they're fun and P seems to enjoy them, so that's all that matters.

• Flappy Bird Hanging Toy 
• High Chair
• Play Mat
• Leap Frog Learning Table 
• PB Anywhere Chair 

Happy Monday, Ya'll!!