New Blog

I have been working on a new blog because this one just wasn't cutting it for me anymore. If you still read this, then start popping over to http://itsthesmallthingsafterall.blogspot.com/ from now on!!

~8 And 9 Months~

So I clearly missed Easton's 8 month update so I will just combine them in this post. I feel like Easton has just bloomed over these last couple of months. They are not kidding when they say kids are little sponges. Easton learns new things so fast. It amazes me how fast babies can pick up new things. With that being said, here are some fun facts about Easton:

-He is legit crawling now. At first he was just doing this weird crawl where he would roll to one side and push with his little legs and then roll to the other side and do the same thing. You don't realize how unbaby-proofed your house is until you have a baby that is mobile.

-He will fake cough and then think he is hilarious when he does it. It is really adorable. When he can't muster up a cough he makes the weirdest little gurgling noise. So funny.

-He loves bath time. He will kick and splash and scream the entire time.

-He eats anything and EVERYTHING. We have tried all kinds of different foods and he has eaten it all. He even chowed down on a lemon. He didn't really like it but he kept eating it.

-He isn't nursing as much anymore. He only nurses 4 or 5 times a day. He is starting to become more interested in real food. This makes me a little sad. I am going to be one sad mama when we are done nursing.

-He says "dada" all the time. I don't think he knows what it means but he loves that he can make that sound and get a reaction out of us.

-He HATES being told no. He will get the saddest look on his little face and then just start bawling.

-His naps are starting to get shorter and shorter. He used to take 3-4 hour naps and now we are lucky if he will sleep for 2 hours.

Now, here are his latest stats from the doctor:

-27 inches tall ------------------- 6th percentile
-17 pounds ----------------------- 9th percentile
-45.5 Head Circumference ---- 64th percentile

Due to his percentiles, I now refer to him as my T-Rex baby. He has a little body and a big head! I don't think it looks like he has a big head though. Maybe I just have mom eyes. I hope he grows a little more soon because it would suck to be little AND have the last name of Small. Trust me, I would know. ;)

It's The Most Wonderful Time of Year... For Some

I love Christmas time. It is one of my favorite times of the year. I always look forward to it. I love the meaning of the season, the snow, the family time, the decorations, the music, the food, and of course the gifts. I always get a little depressed when it is over. This year, I was almost relieved.

I hate the fact that there are people who are suffering while I am living in luxury.

There was a page on Facebook called Blessings for Brinley. I had liked the page and had been following it for quite a while. It was about the cutest little baby girl who was born with a serious heart disease. She had been doing pretty good but then she took a turn for the worse and had to be admitted into the hospital. The doctors told her parents that if everything went well she would be home for Christmas. Little Brinley was having a hard time and she was put on life support. She was fighting with all she had but God called her back home just 3 days before Christmas. She was only 4 months old.

My heart broke for Brinley's parents. I guess it hit me harder then it normally would have since I have my own little baby now. I could not even begin to imagine the pain they were going through. Here I was, loving on Easton and wrapping his presents. Brinley's parents had just lost their little angel and they would probably have to go home and look at her gifts that were wrapped and waiting for her to open. Try as I might, I could not stop thinking about them. I cried and prayed that they would have comfort.

Not only was I struggling with the thoughts of Brinley's parents, but I was struggling with the thoughts of 3 police families who had just lost their loved ones right before Christmas. They didn't lose them because of an accident, they lost them because of hate. Someone hated the police so much that they killed 3 people who wore the badge of a policeman. They didn't know who these cops were. They didn't care that they had families to go home to. They cared about making a point regardless of the fact that they took a loved one away from their family.

The loss of a family is always hard, but I think it is especially hard when it happens during the holidays. While everyone else is happy and enjoying the company of the ones they love, those people are dealing with the absence of someone they love. My heart was heavy on Christmas. I enjoyed spending time with my family, but this was the first Christmas that I felt like I didn't take advantage of how blessed I am. The gifts were nice, but I was more thankful for my life and family members this Christmas season.

I know that all of these gifts come from God and the reason I have been blessed is because of Christ's sacrifice for me. So, even though this was a hard Christmas for me, I was very thankful for it. It really put things into perspective for me. I truly realized how blessed I am for the life I have.

~Seven Months~

I remember this time last year very well. I was about 20 weeks pregnant. I kept thinking, "This time next year I will have a 7 month old." Well... That time has come. It is Christmas Eve and here I am with a 7 month old. I know I say this every time I post about Easton, but it really does go by so incredibly fast. Easton is such a happy little boy and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. He is the best Christmas present ever! This is our first year celebrating Christmas as a little family. Even though Easton doesn't really understand the concept yet, I can already tell that celebrating Christmas with a kid is going to be way more fun for me than for him!

Here is his 7 month old growth picture:

His face is saying what I am thinking, "How did I get so big already?" This was the only picture I could get of him not grabbing his moose and trying to eat it. Little terd! Here are some stats:

*He is almost 16 pounds.

*He loves to eat fruits and sweet potatoes. He isn't a huge fan of vegetables but he will usually eat them without complaint.

*He will give you kisses when you ask for them. They are the most slobbery kisses but they are the absolute best.

*He is starting to figure out how to clap and wave hi and bye.

*We can put him on his hands and knees and he will hold himself up for a little while before he pushes himself forward and splats on his little belly.

*He is learning how to throw fits if he doesn't get what he wants. 

*He is sleeping through the night and has been for a few weeks now. Thank goodness.

*He has quite a bit of hair even though it is hard to see because it is pretty blonde.

*He loves his daddy. Every time he sees his dad he gets the biggest grin on his face.

*He is trying to cut the upper two front teeth.

*He loves his Kayda dog. They are best buddies and love playing together.

*He rolls and scoots himself all around our house. He is never in one spot for very long.

Easton is such a happy baby and we love him to pieces. He is the best thing that has ever happened to us!!!!! Merry Christmas. 

Yeah, Yeah, I'm Behind Again!

I don't even really have an excuse for not writing anything for a long time... other than I am lazy. I have however been thinking of some things to blog about so hopefully I will be posting more in the near future.

Easton has really changed in the last two months. It is so fun to watch him learn and grow. It boggles my mind how quickly he learns things! He is still the best baby in the world except for at night time. He still hasn't figured out how awesome sleep is.

Here are his latest growth pictures:

Here are the stats:

-As you can see, he is mastering the art of sitting up. Except in the bath tub... He may or may not have toppled over and swallowed some bath water in the process.

-He wiggles all over the place. He will lay on his back and scoot around the house. He is also rolling all over. He even rolled off the couch and smacked his head on the coffee table on the way down. He didn't think that was very fun and neither did his mother. I don't know who cried more, me or him.

-He LOVES Kayda. He always squeals and rolls towards her whenever he gets the chance. Some days she thinks it's fun and other days she ignores him.

-He has started giggling but we have to work our ever living butts off to get him to giggle. He does more of a grunting noise than a giggle, but hey, I will take it!

-He is turning into a major mama's boy... Which I don't mind (especially since I always tell him I am the only girl he will ever need.) I came home from work the other day and he saw me and started smiling and wiggling. I went into the bathroom to wash my hands and he started bawling. I came out and he could see me and he started smiling again. So of course I hid again just to test out his love for me. And of course he started crying again until he saw me. :)

-He is obsessed with his Johnny Jump Up now that he has figured out how it works. He bounces like a crazy man!

Overall, he is so much fun. I know I say that I hate all this growing crap, (which I really do) but I also love it. I love that he is getting to be more interactive. I love watching him learn. I just love him! Being his mom pretty much rocks!