Conley Scout | 1st & 2nd Months

I'm a little behind with my Conley updates, but where in the world did two months go?  With the hustle & bustle of the holidays I have felt like a chicken with it's head cut off.  I continuously stare at my two little boys & wonder how we got where we are so incredibly fast!  Especially little brother...my Conley Scout.

O N E   M O N T H

Weight: 8 lbs 14 oz.

Birth: 7 lbs 14 oz.

Length: 21 inches long

LOVES...slllleeeeppp, very content, eating, staring at mobiles, being dirty or wet, Mamaroo rides, the carseat, when you play with his hair & talk to him, car rides

HATES...bath time, changing diapers, being put in the carseat

Eating: I exclusively breastfed during this time, but due to his decreased alertness I would pump after feeding him & feed him 2 oz.'s of breastmilk from the bottle to make sure he was getting what he needed since falling asleep alllllll day & night long!  I had to wake him up every three hours to feed, so needless to say it was very exhausting with a babe that wouldn't wake up!  After doing this for about three weeks, he started showing increased periods of alertness & we started completely nursing without the bottle.

Play/Development:  Increased alertness & curly cue hair.  Does that count?:)  The curls are absolutely a d o r a b l e.

Sleep:  Conley came into this world a professional sleeper.  So much so that I became worried.  With the feeding difficulties related to his decreased alertness, I actually broke down crying to my mom worried about him.  Our pediatrician assured me he had been born a little early & it was completely normal for him to sleep so much.  I'm sure most of you are like whhhaaatt?  Worried that he sleeps too much?  She's crazy!  But when your first baby was a colic baby...you'd understand!  W O R L D S of difference.

Conley, your first month of life was a miracle.  I waited so long to meet you & had several scares that made it even more precious when they finally laid you in my arms.  A healthy baby boy at 38 weeks.  This month you watched your first Carolina Panthers game (proud moment for daddy).  Had your first Halloween!  You were dressed as batman's sidekick- a sweet little sleeping bat!  You went to church for the first time this month at two weeks.  We made several trips to Knoxville back to the old stomping ground where we waited for you.  You travel well & love to be with your family.  Your brother loves to hold & kiss your forehead.  As for your first Thanksgiving, you seen your first Thanksgiving Day parade & had your first Snoopy balloon picture.  No turkey for you, but milk did just fine.  I lost my phone that day too, so I didnt get as many pictures of you as I'd liked!  We said goodbye to your daddy after two weeks of your life & missed him like crazy most of the month, but he was busy working hard for our little family & preparing for our future.  Don't worry, it won't take long for us to all be together again:)  Your sweet & gentle spirit make caring for you a pleasure & loving you a gift from above.  We can't wait to do life with you & your crazy fun brother!  

1 Month Photo Dump 

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T W O  M O N T H S

Weight: 10 lbs 14 oz.

Birth: 7 lbs 14 oz.

Length: 22.5 in.

LOVES...being held, eating, watching the Christmas lights, smiling, kicking his legs & punching his arms, peeing & pooping, watching big brother, cuddling, car rides

HATES...bath time, changing diapers, not eating/being the slightest bit hungry, laying down without someone holding him, love/hate relationship with his paci, being put in the carseat

Eating:  Little Mister loooovvvess to eat.  Exclusively breastfeeding, haven't really used bottles this month since I have been home & it is so much easier to just feed him on demand & not worry about pumping too!  I feel so blessed to be able to do this because I know how hard it can be & I have come to love this time I get to spend with my babies.  When I use my "cape" to feed him, he gets really quiet & those kicks & punches can be clocked at about 100 miles per hour:)  He hums while he eats & clinches his fist.  It's the cutest.  But if he is hungry, g e t out of the way!  I've never heard such a mad cry in my life!

Play/Development:  Little brother is smiling like nothing else!  It is truly the sweetest thing to witness in this life, I'm pretty sure.  He's starting to coo...love hearing his little voice.  He wants to talk so bad! Hold on little man, mommy isn't ready for two talkers just yet!  Holy cuteness though:)  He's really good at lifting his head & moving it from side to center.  He will bounce off your shoulder when you hold him if your not careful!  He is great at tracking noise & stimulus close in front of him.

Sleep:  Well, after bragging about how well he slept last month we've had a couple of doozy nights behind us lately.  Aside from Christmas night-he slept A L L night.  Too bad I couldnt join!  Little brother likes to sleep with mommy (much like Cam did as a baby).  He has his bassinet beside the bed which I often slip him into with only seconds away from him starting to cry again.  It's like he knows when he isn't beside me!  He wakes about two to three times a night to eat.  He isn't sleeping much during the day anymore, he's got too much to do you guys!  Definitely a change for me this month...I often wear him in my Solly Baby wrap & he will gladly nap there.  He isn't a fan of any other entertainment this month...sorry Mamaroo, Swing, DayDreamer, & Bassinet.  He's a belly sleeper just like Mommy, Daddy, & Cam...if we ever need a family nickname...I think we'll just go with the "Belly Sleepers."

Mr. Conley Scout, my my how your first year of life is already flying by.  Two months already!  Your daddy & I are the happiest we've have ever been since we added you into our family.  I think we may be obsessed with babies after having you & Cam in our lives?

You had your first Christmas this month.  You got a giant beanbag, a light saber, a trampoline from Santa & several other fun things to play with in the new year from family & friends.  You slept the entire Christmas night without even waking to eat.  It was kind of amazing...You were baby Jesus in the church Christmas play.  You went to Dollywood for the first time & slept the entire day.  You met Santa Clause twice <for the first time>, the first time you slept in his arms at the West Town Mall & the second time at Lynns Place you were solemn just staring around with your messy curly hair don't care.  Such a trooper!  As each day passes, I find it easier to do life with you & your big bro in tow.  You are just two adorable peas in a pod.  I can't imagine life any other way & never want to.  I often find myself thinking how I don't want this time of life to end & try my hardest to soak up each little moment with both of you.  On to this sweet new year as a family of four:)

2 Month Photo Dump

Christmas 2015

Just when you f i n a l l y feel (even if it's 70 degrees in December) like it's Christmas, it has to come to an end!  Does anyone else feel like standing back & saying "What the crap, 2015?  Where'd you go??"  I especially can't believe that Conley has already had t h r e e of his first holidays!!  He's only two months old!  Time, please start doing a better job of standing still.

Cade rolled into town last Monday morning & from that moment on, all has been right in the world.  Maybe not the sleepless nights or the fact that he has been "sick" the last week but, we are a family again.  And for Christmas, thats all I can ask for.

Christmas Eve was slow in the morning, hustle in the evening.  We continuously tracked HoHo throughout the day making sure we would be home in time so that he could deliver Cam his special requests of "mon-ser twucks & a trampoline. "  

About the trampoline.  Cam wasn't the easiest child to get down for the night (who am I kidding?  What kid is?)  We laid him down on the couch, turned on some "Octonauts" (his tv obsession this week) & slipped off to put together the trampoline.  In the rain.  At about somewhere between 12-2 am in the morning.  Yes.  We did.

I was so worried about the tiniest brother the entire time.  I really need a video monitor for times like this!  I sat the bassinet between my parents room & the basement stairs which I kept hot running up & down to check on him during "Santa's Workshop hours."  Little man didn't bat an eye.  He slept A L L NIGHT LONG!  I'm pretty sure he thought, what the heck!?  Mom's awake!  I can sleep all I want;)

As our luck would have it, we made it all the way to putting together the enclosure of the trampoline before a screw was knocked loose to a cap & the sprinkles turned into a hurricane like rain storm.  But h e y!  Santa had a trampoline assembled for Cam to see the next morning!

Christmas Morning was hilarious.  We had to hurry because we had to make it to our family's annual Mustache Christmas Breakfast by 9:30 & when you have 2 under 2... thats a task!  So Cade woke Cam up about 8am.  "Cam, do you remember who was supposed to come last night?  He stuffed his Kevin McCallister hair back into the pillow: "Noooo, I sared (scared)!"  He went back to the North Pole Cam!  Santa's not here...

"OKkkkkkkkk."  He jumped out of bed to investigate.  Beanbags.  Light Sabers.  Candy.  "Monser trucks."  It was all there.  And a sign pointing to the trampoline outside...

We finally pulled him away from all the excitement under the tree & convinced him to look for the trampoline.  He followed his little arrow to the back window to see if Ho Ho really brought the trampoline he had been asking for.  I was crazy girl excited and then...  He seen it.  No emotion, no nothing.  "It's big!  I want a wittle won!  It has wain on it."  Ultimate. Parent. Fail.  Or so it felt like at the time.

In the words of my Mr:  "You were so excited last year to give him his car...& he would have been just as happy with a bag of rocks.  This year, you were so excited about him seeing the trampoline a n d he could care less."  Oh, well.  Next year, well just see how he likes a bag of rocks...#notreally

The trampoline has become the star of the show lately.  After much encouragement, and many jumps with him on my hip-he l o v e s it.  We literally have to pry him off & he n e v e r comes back in the house without big crocodile tears.  We were jumping today & he looked up at the sky & said, "I love my trampoline, Thank you Ho Ho!  It's so fun!!"  Santa's life made.

And Conley?  Well, I think it's pretty safe to say he digs his bean bag;)  The light saber will be put back for a few years...Not such a bad first Christmas if you ask me!

All Santa & traditions set aside, this special time is for celebrating the birth of Jesus.  I've really tried to make sure that Cam understood that this year.  We made our bible stories about it throughout December & talked about it when we seen the manger scenes.  He loved shouting, "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" any chance he got.  And the best part we all three participated in our church's nativity in the Christmas play.  I was Mary, Conley was Baby Jesus, & Cam a sheep.  Cam spent much of his role as a sheep spinning in circles & hugging the donkey while stealing his snacks, but hey, what sheep near baby Jesus wouldn't be a little, um...excited?;)

I hope you all had a very Merry, special, Christmas with all your people this year:)

I know this little family did!

H54F || The Week Before Christmas!

Can you b e l i e v e it is the week before CHRISTMAS?  I mean.  I was just pregnant & it was Halloween...my mind is blown.  Planning to slow down this next week & soak in every moment so my Christmas loving self will be satisfied with memories to last me into another year of waiting for this special time again.   

Linking up with the "High Five For Friday" girls:  Caitlin at Coffee with Caitlin, Della at Della Devoted, Katie at Cup of Tea, and Tiff at Bright on a Budget.  My week has been pretty great & you can just read below to find out:)

1.  Daddy Countdown: The Mr. is coming home in t h r e e more days!!  He is driving this time so he will start out on Sunday & hopefully roll into town Tuesday.  Fingers crossed & Lord willing!  We are S O excited:)  Prayers for safe travels appreciated!

2.  Christmas Cards:  Our Christmas cards came in the mail this week ( I know I am sooo late this year).  S o late.  That I had to take my own picture as our Christmas pictures weren't ready yet- & this is the result!  Cam's face!  I was probably sleep deprived & hungry when I clicked "place order" because I don't recall this being the picture I ordered.  I can't quit laughing.  God definitely has a sense of humor sometimes & I think this is just a subtle reminder that no matter how perfect you try to do everything during the holiday season...sometimes things are going to happen.  I needed that.  An excuse to use Peanut stamps. And the laugh:)

3.  Christmas Baking+Giving:  Cam & I have been baking up a storm all week in hopes to make some delivery's on Tuesday to some special people:)  I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

Ony Photo bomb- She is all about some Christmas Cookies...

4.  Great One Month Check-Up for Baby Conley!  Conley had a one month check up on Tuesday & my how he has grown!  He weighed 10 lbs 14 oz., 22.5 inches long, & our doctor was very pleased with everything.  It always puts my mind at peace when I know my boys are healthy.  I don't rest easy when I let myself worry that something is wrong, especially in this newborn phase!  A cry can make me fall to pieces these days (but I'm better than I was with Cam) ;)

5.  Using the Elf on The Shelf to promote Speech & Language:  As a Christmas loving Speech Therapist, I have to share this awesome link here!  The Elf is such a great tool for fun a n d learning:)  Tune in Monday to see what our Spider (& Cam Newton Elf) did this week!

Christmas Baking + DIY PBK Wreath

Alternatively titled "When You Give A Toddler Sugar..."  He miigghht wake you up in the middle of the night & ask for food + juice 5,070 times, run into the walls screaming, or poop in your bed.  Take your pick.

Aye Aye Aye!  Christmas cookies + a baking day is a given for our family in December.  It's g o n n a happen!  But this year I found it a tad challenging with Cam.  Anyone else in the same dilemma with their toddler?  Brother Bear would rather cram the cookie dough in his mouth & spit it back out on the wax paper while picking his nose than do things the normal, sanitary, traditional way.  And yes.  He's wearing his underwear in almost every picture-we're in heavy potty training mode for the second time, people-the less clothes the better--not to mention it's 70 degrees in December over here & we'll have a little less laundry to tend to! (Mother of the year award in the bag...).

His favorite part was using the standing mixer.  "I wanna dude it, Mom!"  I had to completely unplug the thing because he found that he could scoot a chair up to the counter & turn it on himself.  He l o v e s changing the speeds while I mix the cookie dough in which he says, "it makes it c w a z y!" as he shakes his little hips & moves his hands in a circular motion to give you the full mixer play by play. 

I guess the best thing I did all three nights we decorated was give him his own plate & let him go to town.  Sure, he may have smashed his face into the sprinkles & licked the plate dry.  Lighten up!  It's Christmas, right?  See what I did there?  

I definitely gave up my insane dream of baking/decorating cookies with a toddler + having everything as perfect & sanitary as I dreamed up...not gonna happen, girlfriend!  No matter how many times you wash his hands it's going back up the nostril again.  You know it.

I have to say-- as crazy & as imperfect as it is- I love it:)  

* When he ran off to play-we totally salvaged a few to share with other people who would rather not have a tsp of toddler snot mixed in.  Your welcome.

Ahhhh, the sweet memories we are making:)

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PBK Inspired Wreath Tutorial

I seen the wreath to the left in the Pottery Barn Kid magazine before Christmas & drooled over it.  But for almost 50 bucks?  Come on,  I can't do that this time of year, crazy people!

Soooo, I decided to attempt my own with a few items I found at Walmart.

You Will Need: Scissors, styrofoam wreath, green felt material, red bow, hot glue gun + glue sticks

1.  Cover entire styrofoam wreath in green felt by hot gluing material to base.

2.  Cut out "popsicle shaped" felt leaves.  Pinch some at the bottom & glue together, while leaving others in original shape.  Glue in a flower-like pattern. 

3.  Cover entire wreath, varying the pinched leaves & original shapes.  It took me like a month just because I did it when I had a free minute.  It was a great way to relieve some stress & make something pretty!  The way you arrange them is totally up to you:)

4.  Hot glue the bow to the top center & there you have it!

You can also add some white balls to make it more like the PBK wreath, but I couldn't find ones like in the picture & ended up liking mine without...

Simple enough, right?  I probably spent a whopping $10 on this little DIY.  It may not be as pretty as the one from PBK, but it sure is cute & a bank account friendly:)

December Rambles+Elf Shenanigans

I drank 3 mugs of hot chocolate yesterday.  I can't pin point why I am insecure without a mug of something hot & sweet at my side, but the struggle is real.  As if Conley smiling & grinning all the time wasn't e n o u g h.  This little guy is happy, happy, happy & that smile & all sweet things are contagious.  Yes, that includes Christmas Oreos.  I'll stop.

Can we just discuss how fast December is flying by?  I always hate that my favorite month is always the one that is over before you have time to realize it's here.  Really trying to be present in each moment & savor the ages that my two are at.  And when Cade get's home- I've r e a l l y got to treasure that time.  Speaking of the Mr....

Our sixth anniversary was on Saturday.  We've spent two of the six anniversaries we've been blessed to celebrate actually together.  Yet, another reason I decided to move to North Dakota over the summer.  Praying that I'll have patience & completely trust what God has in store for our little family in the future while enjoying every season of our life.  I'm totally that girl that tries to take everything into my own hands & make it work & I never want to do that.  Nope, not gonna this time.   

Cam.  Homeboy is unconsciously chanting "I need that from Ho Ho" during the commercial breaks of Blaze & Paw Patrol.  It's kinda equivalent to those presidential ads already taking over adult television except I don't want a n y of that from HoHo...

Spider has been more of a hit this week.  I think it has something to do with Cam Newton.  He's been very excited to find them (he still has to be reminded to look) Thank the L O R D.  I often forget as they want full control of me until we all three fall asleep at night, so I always find myself scrambling something together before he realizes the next morning.  Let me tell you.  It is worth it:)  We are having a blast!  

He really loved the boat & "blue water";)  P.S. I swear he's still two!

As you may have already guessed (or heard), Cam regressed in potty training once Conley was born. We've been in a terrible hiatus ever since.  So naturally, we have the "Santa's watching" reminder & I loved this Elf idea for potty trainers!

This may have been the favorite.  *

Please excuse the cute crack.  He had just got out of tub & was fixing to dress for the day:)

Well, our dog literally just ran into the door running from the rainstorm outside #whenits70degreesindecember.  Time to go give her the 10,008th bath this week & start baking our Chrismtas cookies!

Happy Monday:)  11 Days Til' Christmas!