A Day in the Life

Before I had Garrett I was an educator. I taught elementary aged students for 5 years and pre-school aged students for a year and a half and I loved it! Yes I had my rough days or weeks in some cases, but I still loved it…all of it. I loved the feeling of accomplishment I got on a daily basis and I loved the structure it added to my life. If I don’t have structure I tend to lose motivation and if I lose motivation I start to lose myself and what’s important and healthy for me.

I knew from the day Dan and I brought up the topic of kids that if I was able to I wanted to stay home with them, and I’m fortunate to be able to do that. I love my life and my job as a Mom but it took some getting used to and it constantly takes motivation and planning my weeks/days to make myself feel accomplished. Several people have asked me (especially at the beginning) what I do all day (as if taking care of an almost 7  month old isn’t enough 😉 now that I’m not “working” so I figured I’d do a post about a day in the life of us!

My apologies if what we do with our days doesn’t interest, you don’t have to read 🙂 but my hopes are that you’ll at least enjoy the pictures of our smiley little man!

G’s been waking up around 6 a.m. every morning for a quick feed but he always goes back down afterwards for another hour or 2 making his official wake up time between 7:30 and 8:15. He hardly ever cries in the morning when he wakes up, rather he just lays in his crib and entertains himself (most recently he’s figured out how to turn on his song/nursery rhyme projector and smiles at the songs and pictures on the ceiling)
He ALWAYS wakes up happy, which makes getting up so worth it!

20120116-205636.jpg

We’ll usually play for a little bit then get dressed and ready for the day

20120116-214831.jpg

Between 8:30 and 9 Garrett is ready for breakfast so we head downstairs to eat some oatmeal mixed with fruit. He’s a very good eater and will typically eat any type if fruit we give him but pears are his favorites!

20120116-215244.jpg

After G eats, I eat and then we play some more, change a diaper and (depending on the day of the week) either get ready to go to the gym or play until he’s ready for his morning nap, which almost always comes 2 hours after he wakes up for the day

20120116-215802.jpg

If we go to the gym, he usually falls asleep in the car for the 10 minutes it takes to get there and no matter how hard I try to keep him asleep when I drop him off in child watch he always wakes up and stays awake for the whole time, so the women feed him and play with him while I workout, and I always get a good report from the staff and compliments on what a happy baby he is so I won’t complain.

If, we’re at the gym he’ll fall asleep again on the way home and though he wakes up when I get him out of the car, I can usually get him to fall asleep as soon as I put him in his crib, and he’ll sleep for about 45 minutes to an hour.

During this time I try to squeeze in a quick shower, and go through my to do list so I can figure out what I need to do for the day.  By the time I get that done, it’s close to Noon and he’s up and ready to play again!

It’s usually around this time that Daddy is able to sneak away from work for a few minutes (it’s nice having him work from home : ) and come and say Hello!

Where is Garrett??

After we play for a few minutes it’s time for lunch so we head back downstairs and eat a fruit/vegetable combination and a little bit of water….followed by some play time with his dishes

Sometimes….we get out and have lunch with friends, and it’s at this time that G gets to practice sitting up like a big boy in a high chair without a tall back : )

When we finish lunch we’ll sometimes take a walk with the dogs or run errands and by the time we finish with all of that, it’s usually time for his afternoon bottle and nap

Yes he seriously does do this to himself….don’t worry, we took his blanket off of his head after we snapped the picture : )

Afternoon naps usually last about an hour and half and I take this time to finish laundry, pick up the house, get things ready for dinner, or just take a break and catch up on my DVR shows…..Mommy needs some time to herself too 😉

When G wakes up, we play a little more (lots of playing in the Brewton Household) and then head downstairs so Garrett can torture play with the dogs while cruising in his motorcycle walker

He’ll play in his walker (or help us cook in his baby bjorn) while I get his dinner ready (usually a meat/vegetable puree) and attempt to make our dinner (if it’s my night to cook) and then we’ll all eat and clean up just in time for some family play time!

After we play for a bit it’s time to warm up his bedtime bottle and head back upstairs for Bathtime which he LOVES!

Dan and I both have to bathe him because he’s such a wild man in the tub….I can’t wait to get him into a pool to see what he does!  Then it’s jammies, bottle and bedtime for this monkey.  We’ve got a great routine for Garrett’s bedtime that fortunately has worked extremely well for us since the beginning.  He never has a problem going to sleep even if he’s wide awake after his bottle.  He’ll play a little in his crib…roll around to get comfortable and within 10 minutes and by about 8 o’clock he’s down for the night!

I love that he’s down pretty early because it gives Dan and I time to just relax and enjoy each other’s company (which is SO important to me) and the perfect ending to my day!

We usually head up to bed around 10 or so and watch a little TV or read so that we can be up and ready to do it again the next day!

What’s your favorite part of the day??

6 Months Old and the Joy of my World

Dear Garrett,

On Christmas Eve, 2011, you turned 6 months old! It was exactly one year ago to the day that we shared the news we were expecting your arrival and it was then that everyone began sharing in our anticipation of welcoming you into our family.

It was a special day for many reasons, but I think it was extra special because your half birthday is the day before Jesus’s birthday and he’s pretty important. It’s special because 6 months ago he gave me you, and in return, you gave meaning to my life.

Your Daddy has shown me what true love feels like and my family has shown me what unconditional love feels like but you’ve given me a whole new perspective of loving someone unconditionally and I hope that I will succeed in showing you what that feels like in return.

We were in Ohio for your half birthday and you had a busy couple of days, but stole the hearts of everyone that laid eyes on you. You met lots of the Brunners and all of the Palmers, and you also got to see some of the Robares! Although everyone feels like they know you from all of the pictures I share, nothing comes close to actually meeting you and seeing your smile (and your two front teeth) first hand.

You are growing so fast I can’t believe it and you seem to learn something new every day

  • We will learn your height and weight when we go to your 6 month appointment in January and I am anxious to hear your stats.
  • You wear 6 month onesies but 9 month pants and sleepers because you are so long
  • You have your 2 bottom teeth
  • You are getting harder to take pictures of because you want to move all of the time : )
  • You make funny faces
I’m 6 Months old already!
  • I call you a steamroller because you will roll from one end of a room to another in a matter of seconds
  • You’re starting to pull a leg underneath you and put your butt in the air to get ready to crawl, and you sometimes scoot a little bit towards a toy.
  • You are a Great little eater! You get solids twice a day and you eat ’em all up!
  • You go down for bed with no problem around 7:30 or 8:00 and you sleep until about 5 then get hungry and go right back to sleep for another 2 hours after you eat.
  • You always smile when you wake up and mornings are your happiest time of day
  • You like to bounce from one foot to another and you love your doggies!

You truly have brought more Joy to my World than I ever imagined possible and I can’t wait to celebrate Christmas and your half birthday with you for the rest of our lives.

Playing Catch Up

 I had every intention to post about Garrett’s 5th month right around the time he turned 5 months (which was on Thanksgiving…but clearly that didn’t work out) so here is a quick run down of what we’ve been up to and even though he’s 5 1/2 months now I’m hoping to be more efficient when he turns 6 months which is on Christmas Eve (pretty special isn’t it : )

  • Weight (won’t find out until our 6 month well check but I’m going to guess around 18lbs
  • Height….same as above but I’ll guess around 27-28 inches (he’s going to outgrow his car seat before I know it!
  • Sleeping from about 7:30 or 8:00 until about 4 or 5 o’clock when he wakes up for a quick feed and then falls back asleep until about 7 or 7:30
  • Eating about 6 or 7 oz at a time and like a champ (although you wouldn’t know it because he’s got his Daddy’s skinny genes and big feet : )
  • Eats solids twice a day he prefers pears or bananas mixed with cereal for breakfast and sweet potatoes or peas for dinner
  • Is really good at tummy time, although now he just seems to want to move so he gets a little frustrated with it
  • Talks all the time and feels the need to put everything in his mouth!
  • And is gearing up for what we hope to be a cold and snowy Ohio Christmas!
  • Loves to smile and move….drool and all : )

Our Baby Cakes is 4 Months Old!!!!

One year ago on the 22nd of October, I found out that I was pregnant…and as of the 24th our Baby is 4 months old!!!  I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by and I am doing everything I can to treasure every moment with him.  Looking back on pictures, he hardly even looks like the same little baby we brought home from the hospital in June.  He’s grown so much and is able to do so many things now, and I swear he woke up this morning and looked different than he did yesterday!  It really is bittersweet, and in some ways you wish they could stay that small forever, but in other ways there is so much to look forward to and it’s such an exciting time in his life.

2 Days Old

4 Months Old

We’ve really been enjoying the cooler fall weather for so many reasons.  It’s one of my favorite seasons because of the temperate weather, the beautiful colors, the tasty beers, and Thanksgiving : )  I also love it because when we do our daily 3 mile walk with the buddies a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt with a light weight sweatshirt are the perfect clothes, and I’m not covered in sweat mid-way through!

We Love our Walks!

We had our 4 month well check this morning and the Doctor says that Garrett continues to be a very healthy little boy.  He eats about 4.5-5oz every 3 hours and naps consistently 3 times a day.  I’ve been working on his daily schedule and it finally seems to be paying off though it’s never spot on.  But I believe that being flexible is key to his routine.  We do what works best for us, and it seems to be going really well!

This rolling stuff isn't so bad once you get the hang of it!Look how big I am!

Here are his monthly stats as well as the milestones he’s accomplished (or working on accomplishing : )

  • Sleeps 7 or more hours straight every night
  • If he eats in the middle of the night, it’s only one time right around 4 a.m. and he is changed, fed, and back to sleep in about 15 minutes then sleeps another 3-4 hours
  • Rolls from his tummy to his back with ease
  • Rolls from his back to his tummy occasionally
  • Holds his head up for extended periods of time
  • Reaches for and grasps objects then brings them to his mouth(especially his fingers)

    yummy!

  • Follows objects and sounds
  • Starting to take interest in the Dogs
  • Talks ALL of the time
  • Smiles and laughs in response to lots of different things
  • Makes Dan and I smile and laugh several times a day : )

    Handsome little man!

We are so blessed to have such a perfect little man and we are so proud of him!

*I’m hoping to blog about some recipes I attempt to bake in the near future.  Just have to figure out when I can squeeze in time to bake with this little monkey who requires sooo much attention : )