Reflections of Motherhood

It is 7am and I am sitting at my desk drinking coffee, eating donuts and checking pinterest while my baby boy sleeps. I got this cute video from a friend in my email this morning and wanted to share with you all. I think I am in a melancholy mood because my parents just drove away for home, Montana. It was a great two weeks and I know the visit must come to an end, but oh how I love family. And then after watching this video I think the advice is great, but when you put it to music and think about the journey before Jonah was born and the journey it has been since he blessed us so much, I got emotional. But hey I needed a good cry. It is another day and I have so much to be thankful for. Loving parents, loving in-laws, grandparents, sisters, brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews, good health, a home, a wonderful husband who loves me, makes me laugh and supports our family, and a sweet, happy, healthy little boy named Jonah who I am so in love with. So here is tribute to mothers!

Quiet Day

Another birthday has come and gone.  I can't believe I am 29.  So weird to think I am one year away from turning thirty.  I remember when I was 18 thinking I was pretty old, cool, the bomb.  Now I am 29 and have learned a lot over the past 10 years.  I have graduated from college with my Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing, worked as a nurse for four years, learned a lot doing that, married my best friend and am having the time of life with him, moved across the country to North Carolina and bought our fist house, and now am the mommy to the most amazing and adorable little boy on the planet.  I would say things have been great and turning 29 was just another day, but another wonderful day I get to spend the my hubby, baby boy, and family.  Here is a little walk down memory lane with some new and old pictures I found.

 Back in the day when it was just Tim and I, we would go on a lot of hikes.   We lived in Denver for two years so we lived close to Rocky National Park.  Tim loves the outdoors and I wanted to do whatever he was doing just to be with him.  I was in love baby!

 My favorite day!  April 19th, 2008.  The day I married my best friend!

A little fun in my grandfather's stagecoach.  We went to visit my grandparents the summer we got married.  What a fun a carefree trip it was.

A picture from when we were first dating.  Another beautiful walk in Denver just the two of us.

 And one of the first pictures we took with the two of us.  I felt like after just meeting Tim and I had known him forever.  We totally just clicked and I was in love!

 Our honeymoom in Hawaii.  Now that was a fun trip...:)

 One of the fist pictures as a family with Jonah Gabriel.  How he has blessed us!

 Our first trip to Florida to meet Tim's grandparents.  We were so young and in love!

 And the little man that has forever changed my life.  That's my sweet Jonah.

 A momma and her baby.  What a love between and mom and son.

Homemade Baby Food

Tim and I got a Baby Food maker from Grandpa and Grandma Soriente for Christmas.  I have loved it and used it a ton.  It is so easy and quick to make baby food for Jonah.  I decided from the beginning that I would make my own baby food one for the cost and two for the healthy organic food that I can make sure I am giving Jonah.  I so far have made:
Butternut squash, carrots, pears, apples and prunes, and plums and bananas.
It is so fun to do.  Here are a few pictures of the baby food making process.  And my mom is in town so I have been a bit behind on posting.  We have been talking over coffee, spending time with my sister and her kids, and she have been loving on Jonah!  My dad just got into town last night so I will be heading over to my sisters for the day to hang out with them.  Having my parents here makes me miss being close to them.  It is amazing how you want to be so close to home after you have baby.  I am so thankful for such wonderful parents and family all around!

 Here is the great Baby Cook that works so well to make quick and yummy baby food.

 I found a recipe on someones blog on how to make tasty baby food.  So I decided to try it out.  It was a couple of apples, 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, and 8 prunes, and a pinch of cinnamon.  It turned out great.  I found myself eating a little bit of it once it was done.

My Butternut squash I ended up just baking in the oven because it was so huge to put in the baby maker. It really is amazing how easy making your own baby food is.  I cooked it at 350 for 1 hour and then pureed the squash with the water it baked in.  They say then you keep all the good nutrients which seep out into the water.  Jonah has this fresh out of the oven and loved it!

 I got these great trays from Buy Buy Baby.  They have a lid that slides on then you just pop them in the freezer.  Once they are frozen then you pop them out like ice cubes and put them in a freezer bag and take a  couple of cubes out when ready to eat.

And here is a video of Jonah eating pears freshly made.   He loved those too.  I am so glad I have a good eater!

Eating Solids

Jonah started eating solids about two weeks ago.  We started with just plain rice cereal which he did not like at all, but when I added homemade pears to it he chowed it down.  He did really good eating solids pretty much right away.  I am so thankful for that because so many people told me that starting them on solids really is not a fun thing.  They sometimes don't like, won't open their mouths, and it is really messy.  But Jonah did great.  He opens his mouth wide, likes almost everything, and it is every bit messy but it's kinda cute!  He just smears food everywhere but enjoys eating so that's ok.  We are just hanging out today.  We went to breakfast with my neighbor and her little girl Maddie, who turned one today.  What a great Valentine's Day gift, and sweet precious baby!  Tim is in Cincinnati interviewing for a pediatric anesthesia fellowship.  He left yesterday at about 6:30 and will be hom tonight at 10pm.  Oh the days of residency so long, but will someday pay off!  And my mom gets here tomorrow night!  So excited for her to come visit.  I have been needing something to look forward to since we are in the dead of winter and I am so anxious for summer to get here.

 Isn't that man handsome?!  Tim was the host for interviews a couple of weeks ago so he gets all dressed up and takes the interviewees all over Chapel Hill and shows them what a good time UNC has.  I just love it when he gets all dressed up!

 The fist bite of rice cereal.  Not liking it.  Kind of a funny face!

 Waiting for the pears and squash to get done.  Always so happy.

 One of our friends got Jonah this cute doctors kit that has 5 different pieces that are plush.  Jonah loves the stethoscope and like to suck on the end of it.  Maybe one day he will be a doctor like daddy?

Squash is the best.  Jonah loves him some squash.  I was excited when he just opened right up.  He was so fun and easy to feed for the first time.  All smiles he is.

6 Months Old!

So this is just a few days late for Jonah's six month pictures but here are a few.  He turned six months on the 8th of February.  Oh my how the time has flown by.  I can't believe my little man is 6 months old.  I really do feel like it was just yesterday that Tim and I were patiently awaiting the arrival of our little boy.  Laughing about the days when it was just the two of us foot loose and fancy free traveling the world, dinner parties every night, and enjoying life together.  Having no idea how drastically, but wonderfully Jonah Gabriel would change our lives.  I was nine months pregnant in middle of a North Carolina summer with swollen little piggies, ankles, well really you name it and it was swollen!  I can laugh about that now.  Now the most handsome little being on this planet is six months old and I am so happy to be his mommy.  We are enjoying Jonah as he is a sweet, happy, fun little guy.  Here are a few things that Jonah has been up!

Sitting up-  Yep January 31st he sat up for the first time on his own.  What a big boy he is now.  He is such a cute little petite thing it is so cute to see him sitting up all by himself.  He had his six month appointment and was in the 25th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference.  Dr. Pickens said that is just fine and that he is growing as should be.

Eating solids-  I started out with the good ole butternut squash and pears, and he loved it.  He chowed down and enjoyed every last bite. It might have been because both helpings were fresh from my Baby Food maker and he dug that!  Now the frozen stuff just isn't the same.  Ok sweet boy, I can't make you fresh baby food everyday!

Cuddles-  He is such a sweet little cuddler.  So I admit I have spoiled him a bit and rock him to sleep for his naps but if you knew how little he sleeps you would be doing the exact same thing.  He loves to be held and loved on.  So I enjoy it every bit as he does!

Starting to reach-  When he is in a position or spot he does not like, he will reach for me.  For example if he is in his bouncy chair but wants mom to be holding him, those little arms go up like "get me out of here."  It is pretty cute.

Rolling-  Yep he sat up before he rolled.  I was a little worried because it was taking him so long to roll, but one of my good friends who is a pediatrician said they don't even consider rolling a milestone anymore.  So that made me feel better that we were not missing out on anything and Jonah is right on schedule.

Life is pretty exciting around here.  It has been a long day because our heat and A/C both went out! AHHHH.  So Jonah and I have been hanging out in the kitchen all day so the guys can work on getting everything installed right above Jonah's room of course. Yep we have been in the kitchen with heaters pointed at us all day.  Oh fun times.  So because of the noise throughout the house Jonah napped a whole 10 minutes this morning and then 15 minutes in my arms this afternoon.  Oh my it might be a long evening, but I think they are suppose to be done done in 2 hours.  Anyway here are a few pics of the little munchkin!

For the first time since Jonah was born I finally see a little of me in him. I really didn't think I saw Tim or I in him.  I have thought all along that he looks like a mix, but in these pictures here during bedtime stories and totally see me.  Funny how everyone can tell you who your baby looks like but you don't see it.  Now I do:)

 Bedtime is such a fun time of all of us.  We give Jonah his bath, naked time, and then end with stories and prayers.  He also looks forward to this time.  He gets excited when he knows it's bath night because he loves his baths.

 And all these pictures are from his actual half birthday.  What a sweet handsome boy he is!

 My Grandma on my mom's side has been making county-cross stitch pictures all these years for her grandchildren and now for all of her great-grandchildren.  So this was part of Jonah's Christmas present and I finally got around to taking a picture with him and his special name picture from Grandmama.

I like it!

Trying to get him to look at the camera.

And finally there it is!

Happy Mornings and Sitting up

Well I am back after a long two weeks.  Our household has been sick with everything from an ear infection to the flu.  SO glad we are getting over it all and hopefully past all the sickness and yuckies for the season.  Even though things have been slow around this household and our health has not been great Jonah is changing everyday and continues to learn and do new things for the first time.  He is officially sittin up now!  So exciting.  I have been trying off an on for the past few weeks and he has such strong upper body strength I though for sure he would be getting the hang of it, but just couldn't hold himself up.  Well sure enough January 31st I got him out of his crib and we played around on my bed like we do most mornings.   I just thought I would try sitting him up on our bed AND he did all on his own.  I can now sit him on the floor with toys and he sits and plays so happy and content.  He still does get tired at times and of course topples over, but he is definitely sitting up like a big boy.  My baby is getting big.  Here are a few pictures over the past few weeks of sweet Jonah.

This is how he is every morning!  Makes getting up just a little bit easier:)

And we discovered our toes.

So sweet

Ah just love him

Sitting up like a big boy

I have a ton of pictures so I will hopefully be posting more this week.  Jonah is also starting to eat solids!  Those pictures to come...