I know I'm a little (okay, way) late with this post but hey, see that lil' guy up there? He steals time! And he's sneaky good at it too. I seriously have the best readers ever and can't thank you enough for giving us some pretty rad blog awards. Melissa from Four Ladies and a Patient Man, Chelsey from Paper Mama, and Lovie's Mom from Finally Mom, you are so sweet. I feel like there may be a couple other bloggers that I am forgetting because it has been so freaking long... Please let me know if I have missed you and I will link your blog here with the others!

I pass on these awards to three very lovely bloggers, please take the time to check these awesome girls out!

The Chronicles of Corbin
Just One More Trip
The Flowers in her Hair

all you need is love?

this is what happens when i leave henry unsupervised at work. little f said, "ooooo, ha ha. look! him dressed up in stickerrrrrs, ahhaha!"

it looks like sesame street exploded all over my baby!

thanks for your votes!

Songs We Love 8/50

Best Friends Forever - Circus Song from If You Make It on Vimeo.

Best Friends Forever -Circus Song

Last year in Chicago G and I were in a band together. Best Friends Forever's cute song, "Handpocket" (go! listen!) was the first song we learned to play. I'm seriously in loooove with their fun and simple instrumentals and the girl on the right.

The Haircut

This haircut has to last me a looong time.

This is the latest picture of me and my Henry. I feel lame posting a picture of myself that I obviously took on my own but, see my new haircut? It's kind of a BIG. DEAL. because you guys? It has been seven months since I had the time to go to a salon. Seven months! I kept telling myself that I'd go over a weekend that G wasn't working but stuff just kept popping up. Baby stuff.

So eventually I realized my hair= eww.gross.yuk and made myself book an appointment (made myself. wow). G had some free time and offered to watch Henry for a few hours and since H has gotten much better at entertaining himself I figured he'd be just fine. I got really excited and started planning what I would do with my gifted free time. Maybe I'll get a coffee and stop by the bookstore afterward, maybe I'll get a new dress at UO, maybe I'll just sit in the car and listen to my music really loud for once...my mind was spinning with the possibilities!

After my haircut (40 min. after leaving the house) G called me and I could barely understand what he was saying because H was screaming bloody murder in the background. "When are you coming home? Soon? Please tell me it's soon. You're almost done, right? I've tried everything but bro be freaking out..." he yelled.

:: sigh::

Apparently I still can't leave my baby for longer than twenty minutes without him thinking the world is coming to an end. I guess it's going to be a while before I get my hair cut again and I should probably just accept the fact that coffee and bookstores and shopping are now the things good dreams are made of.

What a little mama's boy we have!

** thank you all so much for sending G so many good thoughts for a speedy recovery. it means so much to us! **

please vote for us today? just a few clicks!

Uff Da! on Etsy

One of my most favorite mommy bloggers has finally opened her Etsy shop! If you are looking for adorable, unique, and reasonably priced items for a little girl then please, click the picture above. Can you seriously beat a super cute (handmade!) summer dress for only $22.00?!

Emily also makes hair clips and fun bibs (some for little boys too!)

Look! Look!


Now seriously, go help a mama out and buy something awesome for your little sweetie!

The Scariest Moment

Yesterday was seriously one of the scariest days I have ever experienced. Our weekend was a ton of fun, Friday and Saturday were spent lazing around the house and enjoying our time together before G starts his new job. Sunday morning I woke up around five and sleepily pulled H into bed with us. G was still sleeping soundly and soon Henry and I dozed off again. Two hours later I woke up to G saying, "Oh man. Ohhhh man. Something's not right Allie." He walked out of the bathroom and said he felt like passing out. I got out of bed just as he started stumbling across the room. I grabbed him and pulled him half way onto the bed and suddenly his body collapsed and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. As his eye lids fluttered I reached for my phone. Dead battery. I searched the bookshelf for his phone with one hand and slapped his face with the other. Just as I was getting ready to call 911, G woke up and asked me why I was hitting him so hard. I told him he had passed out and he had absolutely no recollection of the previous events. Umm, scary!!!

We rushed to the hospital and ended up spending most of our Sunday morning in the ER, waiting around for CAT scans and test results. I held Henry the entire time, just hoping that he wouldn't catch any weird sickness from the other people in the waiting room. Three hours later H was able to come home. The diagnosis? Kidney stones.

He is doing much better today and even refused to miss the first day of his new job. Yesterday I realized that I totally take our family's general health for granted. As I watched G passed out on the floor with his mouth open, I felt a feeling I had never experienced before. Absolute fear and panic and sadness. I suddenly felt completely vulnerable. Everything was happening so fast and yet so slow. It's really hard to describe.

After coming home from the hospital I snuggled Henry extra hard and hardly put him down all day. The three of us took a two hour nap in our big bed together and last night I slept with my arm around G's waist. You really don't realize just how fortunate you are until something so frightening makes you see your life in a whole new way.

Henry's Godmother

This is my best friend Melissa and her wonderful boyfriend Andrew. Melissa is Henry's godmother and although they haven't met yet I just know he's going to love her as much as I do. If Henry ever has a problem and feels like he can't talk to us, I trust that the advice she will give him will probably be better than anything we could have said. Seriously, this girl blows my mind. She has such a refreshing, unique way of seeing things and is also the kindest person I have ever met.

Melissa is: lazy summer days, Iron and Wine and Beatles on vinyl, Traumeel, charcoal tattoos, key clubs, long rainy drives, Shins concerts and Joanna Newsome records, rescued kittens, beach runs, wooden postcards, broken windows, endless conversations about the boy named N, Soy Delicious ice cream, and Bob Dylan on repeat.

I love this girl.

please vote for us! we need a boooooooost! just click the brown bar below :)

New Food #3

Henry won't nap today and I feel like I am going crazy. I don't usually use this blog to vent but today has. been. stressful. G is off volunteering for some program and all morning I have been alone with this screaming kid who won't even let me pee on my own. I've been bouncing him on my hips, rotating him from toy to toy, and nursing him like whoa all in the hopes of wearing him out.

He's fussing in his bassinet and every time I think he's finally fallen asleep he starts screaming even louder than before. I've been calling those quiet moments the "calm before the storm". Do you know what I'm describing or is my baby the only one who teases me with them?

Why he won't nap makes no sense to me because three or four nights ago he decided once again that sleeping is for squares. I feel bad but right now I'm just letting him cry it out. I've tried everything! I hate feeling like I never get a break. Don't get me wrong, I love this kid more than anything in the whole world but honestly? I can only handle so much. When will I be able to have just a few moments to myself again? Please tell me this doesn't last much longer!

I know, "This too shall pass" and "you'll miss these days when they're gone" lalala. I say GOOD. This is something I'm not going to miss in the slightest!

Henry and the Mirror

"Wanna see this cute boy I keep finding?"

:: pause ::

"See? I told you he's cute!"

vote here!

The Real Price of Labor

Okay. I'm sorry but usually when something doesn't work you aren't expected to pay for it, am I right? This Anesthesiologist actually told me that he had to administer the epidural quickly because he had another surgery to get to and he was in a hurry. He told me there was no time for crying about it, that it wouldn't make it any easier. Well he ended up doing it wrong and for the rest of my labor the pain remained unbearable. Now my back is all f-ed up and I'm totally scared to ever have another kid. Sounds to me like I deserve a refund.

Um excuse me, can I return this broken epidural please? And no, I don't want "store credit".

Baby Fail #2

(see baby fail #1)

vote for us here!!

is that a bird?

"Baby Wearing"

Ever since H passed the (intimidating) fragile and floppy new baby stage, these two have become very busy boys. G loves holding Henry up so that his legs are dancing on his chest and walking him from room to room singing songs about the things they see. These days chubby-baby superhero sightings are becoming more frequent as G flies him around the house yelling, "Hey mom, here I commmmmme!"

** click and click to vote for us today! thank you for all of your votes so far! **

pictures from the vault.

Ratatat.

I was going through a bunch of my old FB pictures the other night and stumbled across this one. In college my roommate organized a campus show and invited Ratatat and Japanther to our house afterward. I mostly remember being frustrated with the way they were handling our pets/personal belongings and spending the majority of the night thinking about how sudden fame must make people act differently than they did prior. I understand that you'll never see us again but seriously dudes? Memories are a hard thing to erase.

Easily Distracted

I have been having the most difficult time getting Henry to nurse these days! As a newborn he was one to take his time eating, usually having to be at my breast for at least an hour. Somewhere around three months he turned into a champion speed eater and started finishing both breasts anywhere between twenty minutes to half an hour. I got pretty used to this and although I missed my awkward little snacker, these new eating habits worked pretty freaking well with our chaotic schedule.

Now H is five months old and has decided that everything is more interesting than milk. Oh, is that dad singing in the kitchen? Can't eat, gotta listen. Hey, the cat is walking by? Hold on. Am I really moving my own toes right now?! Let. me. see! He's constantly pulling away to watch everything, which means he's nursing more frequently and taking his sweet time doing so.

Welcome back slowpoke!

I've moved all of your lovely buttons to their own page, just to keep things a little more organized around here. You'll find this new picture on the right, click it and then check out the other blogs I have listed as well. They are all so good! If you have a button and I somehow missed it, let me know and I'd be happy to add it!

I think you all might really love these blogs as well, go and see!

The Paper Mama
A Family in Love
Sweetest Nest

Love.

Happy first day of summer! During the early months of my pregnancy I imagined taking Henry on long, sunny walks around the neighborhood every day. I pictured us playing at the beach and going to the park even if he was still too little to enjoy the swings or climb the bars. Now that he's here I've realized that babies get hot much quicker than we do. All of those leisurely strolls I once envisioned have in reality become fast sprints from one air conditioned space to the other.

I can't wait until it cools down just a bit so we can start spending more time outdoors. I'm so anxious to introduce Henry to this beautiful little city of ours!

Get me a Coffee!

Don't even bother trying to get a hold of him during tax season!

** Thank you all for your votes so far, we have made it to the front page! I feel like I should let you all know that this is not important to me because I want to "beat" out the other blogs or become the most popular blog on the internet. I have met many amazing blog friends since registering It's a Wonderful Life on the site and would love keep meeting more people who can continue to offer me advice, encouragement, and humor when I'm feeling a bit stressed. Your votes mean the world to me as I know you are all so busy. You guys are the best! **

to the two most important men in my life.

Dear Dad,

I have been thinking a lot today about how much I miss you these days. Of course, I've missed you since the day we left for Chicago but now that Henry is here I miss you more and more each day. As I watch him grow and develop new skills I find myself wishing so badly that you could be here to see each one. Even though right now we are thousands of miles away from each other I have no doubt in my mind that we will all be living in the same state again soon. I can' t wait for Henry to get to know his grandpa and for him to spend time doing all of the things you used to do with me! Henry needs someone to take him fishing, teach him the rules of baseball, and how to get a player's attention so that you can get your ball signed. He needs his grandpa to make him glasses of "fairy milk" and eggnog with 7Up. And someday after you two have spent an amazing day outside together you will tuck him in and tell him, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite. See you in my dreams" and he will be comforted by it just as much as I was when I was still little.

I love you so, so much dad. I hope your father's day and birthday was the very best.



Dear Garrison,

One of my most favorite things ever is watching you with Henry. I love how much his face lights up whenever you come home from work and enjoy seeing how different he acts around you than he does me (already!) You have no idea how much my heart melts every time I walk in on you two cuddling each other in our big bed in the mornings. Thank you for always being so patient and kind and for helping me out with the big things and the little things (there sure are a lot of those times lately, aren't there?) I am so glad that you were there to hear Henry's first cries. That is a memory that I will never have and if you hadn't been there the only people around to experience that would have been the nurses and doctors.

I love you so much and I love our little family. I am so lucky to have you in my life.

Love,
Allie

please?

Could you all please do me a huge favor? The Top Baby Blogs site just reset their info and I had to register It's a Wonderful Life all over again! We would love it if you could take a few seconds to vote for us. Just click the brown button below and then click the brown screen that pops up.

I have met so many wonderful people through this site, the higher ranked we are the more people find this blog. A lot of the blogs I have posted to the right are also registered with TBB so if you are visiting them and see a vote button, make sure you click for them too...they all deserve your votes much more than I do.

Here's the button, thanks for voting!

(We're Getting) Sleep

Since we moved Henry into his own room, sleeping has been going much better for the three of us. At first he (okay, I) was having a hard time adjusting to the change. He was still waking up every two-three hours and just about the time I'd finally stop worrying about him being kidnapped, or swallowing a bug, or pulling his swaddle blanket over his mouth, or being too hot/cold, or having a stuffy nose...he'd wake up again, full-on screaming and I'd find myself back in his room with my boob in his mouth.

During a very frustrated phone call to my mom she suggested that we take him out of his new crib and sleep him back in his bassinet. Why hadn't I thought of this?! It made total sense, he's been sleeping in that bed since he was born so naturally he'd be more comfortable in that than in an unfamiliar (big and cold) crib. That night we wheeled his bassinet into his bedroom and he slept ten hours straight. Ten hours!

Since then he's been sleeping at least seven hours. Perhaps I'm jinxing myself by writing this all down, but it's just too exciting not to share. I'm too afraid of breaking this sudden streak of luck so every night I've been making sure his sleeping arrangements are the exact same as the first night he slept so well. This means he's been sleeping in the same pajamas for four nights and wearing one sock on his left foot (the night he slept well he had cut his pinky toe and needed a sock to hold the band aid on). I know it's stupid but hey, I'm not messing this up. Sleep is a beautiful thing.

I'm (sort of) sorry for this sudden burst of posts today. I don't know what's gotten into me. I think it must be this gorgeous weather we've been having, or the two cups of coffee I drank earlier, or the tons of old photos I found hiding in the dusty vaults of my Flickr account.

Lately tummy time for Henry has become one of his favorite activities. When he was a new baby it always looked a little like this (struggle, struggle, struggle, grunt, crrrrrrrry):



Now he's happiest propped up on those chubby arms of his, watching feet and cat paws pass by over and over and over. I'd like to say that I can't wait until he starts crawling, but that would be a lie because you seriously don't realize just how dirty your floors are until your baby starts laying on them.

When I first met G in college, he already had five tattoos. Over the years he's gotten many more and I love that each one reminds me of the different places we have been together. My absolute favorite is this "Henry" anchor. The week after H's birth, G had this drawn up and tattooed at a local shop just down the street.

How sweet will it be for grown up Henry to see his name on his dad's arm every time they are together?

Tiny Hands

Little F says to little H, "This widdle piggy went to market. This widdle piggy stayed home. This widdle piggy had roas-beese and this widdle piggy had none...."

Henry, those sticky fingers of yours sure are attracted to my hair lately. At the rate you're going I'll be bald by the time I'm thirty!

Yes, Please

Would you like some jam with those rolls?

Cereal Face

Friday Night Love

Our new porch has been getting a lot of attention these humid summer nights.

I love, love this man.

Great Big Yawns

This is how we have been feeling these past few days. I posted a picture of Henry and not myself because sleep deprived Henry is so much cuter than sleep deprived Allie. Since he has been sleeping in his own room (a change we made to encourage longer chunks of sleep at night) he's been up every hour/hour and a half (go figure). We are trying to sleep train him as well as cut out a few of the night feedings that have recently become more southern comfort food for him than anything. Throw in the fact that he's hardly even napped in his own room let alone spent the night there all alone and you have a baby waking up all. the. time. thinking where the H am I and what is going on?!

Lately he's been jumping and twitching in his sleep, like he's in the middle of some awful dream. I contribute this to all of the recent sleep changes we've made (I've also been having crazy dreams) and figure that some of these baby sized nightmares must be part of what's waking him up so frequently.

But what unpleasant things could babies possibly even dream about? As I nursed him back to sleep last night I thought about this and could really only come up with a small amount of things. I've listed them below (in super creepy font for the full effect):


I keep waiting for the night when he finally lets me get a good amount of sleep. Last night he slept six hours for the first time in forrr-ev-errr but I'm not counting on getting that lucky again.

Any night now Henry, okay? I'm soooo ready to sleep as soon as you decide to let me!

Lazy, Lazy, Lazy!

Wednesdays are my days off. My days to catch up on everything I've avoided doing for the past week and spend some one on one time with my favorite little man. This morning we snuggled in bed, napping on and off and wasting way too much time on Hulu. After we were both caught up on sleep (and TV shows. Ack!) we headed downtown for a walk in the park. Lately it has been too humid to take Henry outside but today the temperature was perfect. I enjoyed an iced coffee while H sat contently in his stroller, watching the artists painting historic buildings and the college students whizzing by on their bicycles.

Lazy Georgia summers are the best, but they're even better when you have a tiny friend to share them with.

ps. thank you all so much for such wonderful comments in response to my "transitions" post. i'm still working on responses back so until then please know how much i appreciated and needed to hear every thing you wrote. you are all the very best.

The Big Transition.

This weekend Henry started sleeping in his own room and the transition has been harder for me than I ever imagined. I know it's time for him to start learning to sleep on his own, every rustle of our covers or sniffle in the middle of the night wakes him and as a result we've been getting absolutely no sleep.

As I rocked him in the chair in his room for the first time I sang our lullabies with a shaky voice and tears in my eyes. I looked down at his pouty little lips and thought, "Where has the time gone? This isn't fair!" It feels like just yesterday that I laid him into his bassinet for the first time and wheeled it so close to our bed so that I could hear every movement and breath he made.

I hate how empty our room feels now. I keep waking up in the middle of the night and instinctually peeking into his bassinet to check on him. When I realize he's not there I sit on the side of the bed, in the dark, and fight the urge to sneak into his room and rub his fuzzy little head.

I'm trying so hard do this. Trying so hard to avoid thinking too much about how fast the time has gone by. I know this is best for everyone but it is honestly one of the hardest things I have had to do on this new journey though motherhood.

Please tell me this gets easier?

And With A High Pitched Voice, Too!

This is the sweet baby face that has me referring to myself in third person and saying things like "Baby Hen-weee" and "Oooooh, you wanna weed a book?"