Whirlwind of a weekend...

Whew...it's 2:30 Sunday afternoon and we are finally sitting down to some calmness. We have had a very busy weekend with aunts, grandparents and great-grandparents. As I have mentioned in previous posts, family is uber-important to RA and I. We want RF to grow up knowing his family members and having specific memories about spending time with them. We never want to deny our child the opportunity to spend time with those that love him the most. And so starts our whirlwind weekend...

RA had a few house projects that needed someone with more carpentry expertise than I could offer (which is absolutely none), so Friday afternoon Mr. Joe and Mrs. Margie came in town. We ordered in dinner and spent the evening hanging out with Nana and Babu (Mr. Joe and Mrs. Margie's grandparent names). Saturday morning we woke up bright and early - RF is a morning person and greets the day with a bright, beaming smile - and go to work on a few house projects. RA and Mr. Joe went to work on the outside projects and I went to work on a few inside projects - one of which included tackling the mountain of laundry that has been accumulating the last week or so - I just cannot seem to get it under control for some reason. While RA and Mr. Joe made a Lowe's run, Mrs. Margie and I packed up RF and went out and about for a little while. We started out at Babies R' Us, then wandered over to Target before picking up the dry cleaning and heading back home. The evening was spent with Mr. Joe and RA working until after the sun went down - two Hawk men on the back porch with a flashlight and a circular saw - amazingly we didn't have any major injuries - while Mrs. Margie and I put together our newest baby-gear purchase (see below).

Sunday morning greeted us with blue skies and birds chirping and again, RF with a big grin on his face as he woke up about 6:30. We helped Mr. Joe and Mrs. Margie pack their things to head home and got ready for the second round of family to come over. Aunts Hartley and Haydn, my mom and my grandparents came over for lunch (luckily I didn't have to cook - thanks, mom!). As RF drifted off for one of his cat-naps we all found ourselves on the front porch. We spent the better part of two hours reminiscing, and watching RF take in the sights of the outdoors.

As everyone left a little bit ago, I snuck upstairs to rest while RA and RF watch their weekly John Wayne movie. I can hear RF 'talking' to his daddy right now - he is just a squealing and laughing - what a sweet sound to hear on a Sunday afternoon... :-)

Mama and baby boy playing with iPAD Saturday morning before everyone else woke up 

A baby in a box...

Playing with my toys...in a box...

Charlie keeping a keen eye on his brother's new 'toy'

LOVING my new high-chair from Nana and Babu

BITING down on my teething ring...

two peas in a pod...

Aunt Hartley feeding RF while he acts all dramatic - since the day he was born he has put his hand over his face while he eats - even if it is pitch dark in the room, he still does it...oh the baby nuances...

MEME's here! 

Hanging in my high-chair reading my book while Meme cooks lunch

Aunt Hartley and Mamaw with RF 

Hugs from Meme and kisses from Papaw

Chewing on those fingers...

Four months old today

Loving on my baby boy

A Confession

Ok...here it goes.

RA and I went out on a date last night...without RF...for the first time since he was born...yes, he was born three and a half months ago...

In all fairness, RA and I aren't really 'go-out' type people. Our date nights usually involve either a) ordering dinner and bringing it home or b) cooking at home together. We prefer to be at home - I suppose it is somewhat hermit-like, but for us it's just perfect.

Anywho - RF stayed home and played with Meme while we enjoyed a nice dinner and the symphony. RA bought us tickets to the Mobile Symphony's performance of American Masters: George Gershwin featuring Benjamin Grosvenor on the piano and it was fantastic! The music selection was classic, the orchestra sounded amazing and Benjamin Grosvenor is an incredible pianist.

In other news, RF is continuing to melt our hearts. He is such a smiley baby that I can't stand it - I just want to (and many times I actually do) kiss his little face all over. He is going through a bit of a sleep regression/teething/growth spurt thing that has our routine a bit out of whack, but everything I read says that it is normal for his age. We have our four month dr. appt. coming up soon, so we will be sure to get our pediatrician's thoughts on everything as well. RF is becoming so much more mobile, too - rolling over everywhere - even in his bed at night while he's asleep, trying to 'scoot' himself around by kicking his feet or pushing on us when he's on his tummy, and he loves to stand up on our legs when we hold him.

Mommy Thought For The Week: 
Once I drop off RF at Lola's each morning I use my 20 minute drive to work as a mommy-time/reflection-time. Last week I had a realization about just how much RF has changed my life in the non-obvious ways.

I have never been a morning person. I love to sleep and morning time generally signals an end to sleep-time - boo. But since having RF, I have realized just how much I look forward to the mornings. Waking up and seeing his smiling face, brewing a pot of coffee, getting things ready for the day and driving across the bay as the sun is coming up while listening to Ray Charles as we head to Lola's house. In high school (and in college), I got up in enough time to get dressed, throw my hair into a pony tail and drive to school - nothing more. Amazing how life shifts...just amazing.

Why wouldn't I want to get up each morning when I know I get to see this face? 

Napping in his swing at the office

Family Sundays

RA and I have always tried to devote Sundays to family-time. Now with RF we are even more adamant that Sundays be a day for us to spend quality time together, sometimes going out-and-about and sometimes hanging out at home, but either way the day is family-focused. The weeks are so hectic that the weekends are our time to completely focus on each other. 

RA and I want to do everything we can to expose RF to learning opportunities - even as a 3-month old. This morning we drove down to the marina at LuLu's to tour the replicas of the Nina and the Pinta, two of the ships from Colombus' 1492 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Both ships were quite small which makes the feat of crossing an ocean even more impressive. 

AL.com recently did a piece about these two ships - http://blog.al.com/live/2013/02/replicas_of_columbus_ships_nin.html

We had a great time - even with overcast and gloomy weather. RF spent the morning in our new carrier (thank you, consignment sale - round 2) and smiled, cooed and kicked the whole time we were looking around. After we left the ships we went by and spent some time with Meme (my mom) before calling in a pick-up order to Mellow Mushroom and getting home before the rain came in. 

Replicas of the Nina and the Pinta 

About to board the ships with my 'first mate' 

Onboard the replica of the Pinta

I love RF's face in this one - he was taking it all in

About to board the replica of the Nina 

Arms out - "I'm king of the world." :-)

Hanging out with Meme

RF and mama time - napping

In other news, we are fairly certain that RF has begun teething. He has all the classic signs - major drooling, being fussier (any amount of fussing is out of the norm for him - he really is a happy baby), wanting to gnaw on everything - his hands, his toys, our hands, his pacifier, etc. and he has been wanting to sleep more - nature's way of helping us feel better when we don't feel 100%. Hopefully we will get through this milestone unscathed and may even be sporting some cute little teeth in our Easter photos in a few weeks. 

I Had No Idea

Since being pregnant and giving birth I have learned so much. I have learned things about the human body, I have learned things about maternal instincts, I have learned things about myself, and I have learned about things I had no idea even existed - enter consignment sales.

My first experience with consignment sales was about a month before I had RF in Mobile at Kidz Klozet (great business run by great women). I went in with a very specific list of things I wanted to look for like a boppy pillow, a sound machine, a snuggle nest (best thing EVER for newborn babies, in my opinion - thanks Casey!), and a bathtub among other things. I tried to stear clear of the clothes because I was completely overwhelmed at the shear vastness of the racks. I came out with exactly what I had on my list - every single item. I was completely amazed. I spent $100 on items that would have cost me more than $300 if I had paid retail for them.

Tonight I had another such experience at the Savvy Mom Sale in Spanish Fort - complete success. Since our little one is growing like a weed I went in focused on clothes. I ended up with 11 onesies/shirts, 7 pairs of pajamas, 4 pairs of pants/shorts, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 sets of blocks - one cloth, one wood, and 1 cloth book ---- all with a grand total of $52. Just from the items that still had the tags on them I totaled the retail cost to be over $150.

Being a mom opens your eyes to all sorts of things and I am completely happy that the term 'consignment sale' has been added to my vocabulary.

my finds 

Sunday morning bed-head :-)