And So It Begins.....

Today, Mom and I went shopping for yarns and started the adorable beanie for my baby girl. Let's just say....shopping was a BLAST and crocheting is......EXHAUSTING!!!! I am catching on though....just need to loosen my grip. Mom says this will come with time and practice! The end result should be interesting!

God Answers Prayers!

Do any of you have husbands who don't have faith or have faith but don't go to Church?

Do you wish, hope, dream, and pray for God to speak to your husband's heart? For God to be with your husband, to love your husband no matter what, to lead your husband how He wants your husband to be led?

Do you ever find yourself getting upset because you want your husband to be closer to God? To feel the way you feel about God?

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

1 Peter 3:1-4

Pray for your husbands....or in this case....your father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandfather, grandmother. Pray for them and help them to believe, not by words but by the way you live your life!

God Answers Prayers!

2 Month Check Up

Last week we had Zoe Jane's 2 month check up. Another round of shots....boo hoo! I didn't cry this time because I knew what to expect....but it still made my heart ache. She is doing all the things the Dr. says she should.....

• She is smiling as a reaction to us now
• She is cooing....had a whole conversation with Grandma on the phone
• She is lifting her head when on her tummy and on our chests
• She has great control of her head now

I am so happy she is developing so well!

Here are her stats:

• She now weighs 10 lbs 10 oz (35%)
• She is now 22.5 inches long (43%)
• Her head now measures 15 inches round (24%).....and is shaped exactly like her Daddy's (it is so weird!)

Welcome Home!

Well....here they are! The long overdue house pictures! I wanted to wait until we had EVERYTHING done before posting pics but...lets be real....Is a home ever really DONE? I am finding the answer to be...."In your dreams!" So here is what we do have done.

Welcome to our home....lets begin with the exterior!

To the exterior, we added gutters...WOW can water really kill a home if not taken care of properly. We got rid of the 80s style siding....diagonal siding was not exactly what we had hoped for when looking for a home. We also put on a fresh coat of paint and Viola!

Before:

After:

Eventually, we will purchase new shutters, paint the front door, level out the front porch and add shrubs and flowers.

Coming in through the front door, you walk right into our Living Room!

Step 1 was to strip the baseboards and pull up the carpet.

We started painting before we laid the floors...a lot less clean up, which is good for someone who is rather good at spilling paint!And the boys got going!
After:

Still need to hang pictures and patch up the wall where the chair rail was.

Next is the Dining Room....and these are the only pictures I have of it. Not quite done yet!

To the left of the Dining Room is the Kitchen....We carried the hardwoods on into the kitchen rather then switching to tile. In the Kitchen, we painted the walls and cabinetry, replaced the countertops, painted the backsplash and organized the laundry/pantry.

Here is the kitchen after the countertops were installed.

After:

In the kitchen, we still need to put the hardware on the drawers, get rugs for in front of the sink and stove, and patch the walls for the backsplash. We would love to get a new sink and faucet...but all in due time.

Here is my favorite part of the Kitchen....the newly organized pantry. In order to even have a pantry, we had to get clever. By stacking the washer and dryer and installing shelving, we now have a pantry!

And the oh so interesting hallway.

Before:

After:

Still need one more coat of paint and possibly a runner and pictures. We are also replacing all the doors and hardware....can't wait for that. It will make such a difference!

First room you come to in the hallway is Zoe Jane's Nursery! I have waited so long to be able to do this little one's nursery....I loved putting it together!

Here it is with new carpet:

After:

I still need to put pictures in the frames on the wall, paint the frames and get a lamp.

My mom made the curtains and the glider cushions. She did a wonderful job! I love the houndstooth and the giraffe print!

And another organized closet....obsessed with organization!

Next is the Bathroom.

Before:

And After:

For the bathroom, we need to replace the counter and the floors. But I like it!

And that is the end of the tour. Our second tour will include the Master Bedroom, Master Bath and Guest Bedroom. Who knows when those will be done though...haha.

Too Stinkin Cute!

These hats are too stinkin cute!!!!!!!!! And too stinkin expensive for this Mama! So what is a girl to do.....learn to crochet. Pattern is bought....wish me luck!

Baby Flint has arrived!

Zoe Jane has another new friend! Zoe's Godmother, Jenny, or "Gommy" as we like to call her....delievered her baby boy, Albert Flintom...."Flint"....on January 28th! He is so sweet and little! Congrats Jenny and Ben!

2 Months!

Here we are....January 14th and that marks 2 months for our precious Zoe Jane! I have loved every moment of being this little ones Mommy! Love isn't even a big enough word to describe how Zach and I feel about Zoe Jane. So blessed! How could you not love that face.....

So what has happened this last month........

• Zoe is in size 1 diapers and in between newborn and 0-3 for clothes.
• Zoe eats every 3 1/2 to 4 hours (longer if she sleeps through a feeding).
• Zoe sleeps a lot still during the day and I am trying to get her in a routine by 4 months of age....so we are just keeping track of when she sleeps now. Her fussy time between 9-11 isn't near as bad as in the first month. We are learning more and more how to help her during this time. She goes right to sleep at 11 and wakes up once in the night between 4-5:30 and then sleeps until around 8....9 on some days if I am really lucky!
• Zoe is still swaddled every night and LOVES it.....if she has trouble falling asleep during the day, I swaddle her, too. It will be interesting when I have to stop swaddling her :(
• Zoe started sleeping in her crib this month, at about 6 weeks, and has been doing AMAZING! We had no problem at all transitioning her from her bassinet to the crib. Praise the Lord.
• Zoe has a night light on her monitor that we keep on for her since she still isn't really a fan of the dark....and she loves the ocean songs we play for her....they calm her very nicely!
• Zoe still has big blue eyes!
• Zoe's hair is growing and growing......bows are always welcome!
• Zoe is starting to cover her face when she sleeps, if she isn't swaddled. But even when she is....her hands some how make it out of the strong hold and are right by her face.
• Zoe loves the bath! She just relaxes the whole time.
• Zoe still looks like her daddy, but I think she will have my coloring.
• Zoe doesn't grunt much anymore....thank goodness.
• Zoe loves to stretch real big in the mornings after we take her out of her swaddle....the faces she makes are priceless and absolutely hilarious.
• Zoe is traveling much better now in her car seat.....she slept both ways....all 4 hours to Alabama this past trip.
• Zoe loves her paci....but would rather be sucking her fingers if her Daddy would allow it.
• Zoe is really smiling now and I feel like she really knows who Zach and I are now.
• Zoe loves to cuddle....especially on Saturday mornings in Mommy and Daddy's bed.
• Zoe does well with Tummy Time, when I remember.
• Zoe is just a calm, relaxed, happy baby....it just makes you want another :) HAHA
• Zoe attended her 1st Mass Christmas Eve and did great....she has been going ever Sunday since and gets blessed. Love having her there with me!

Things that have helped me survive this past month:

• We now use the SnugBug swaddle blanket from Target. I don't favor this one specifically, but if you want to swaddle, I would strongly suggest getting a blanket that has velcro. She now fits into this blanket, before it was way to big. But the velcro gives me piece of mind because I know she can't break out of it and it won't cover her face ever.
• Now that Zoe Jane is in her crib, a good monitor was really important to us. I received the Fisher Price Monitor and I love it. It has great reception....doesn't make any of those scary noises when to base and handhelds get close and BEST PART......it is a remote control. From our room, we can turn the night light and soothing sounds (music and ocean) off and on.....that's right! So useful!

• I have loved having a winter bear suit.....you can see it in one of the pictures above. In this weather, especially the last couple weeks.....it has been freezing and I don't really have WARM clothes for Zoe Jane. So, anytime we leave the house, she becomes a cuddle bear in this. And it is just so cute too.
• This past month we have really gotten great use out of our bottle warmer since I have gone back to work. I think ours is made by 1st years....it does great.
• Little Noses Stuffy Nose Kit.....nasal aspirator and saline spray....Zoe Jane has not been sick, just some congestion and this has been a wonderful help in keeping her nose clean!