6 Month Photos

This post is almost 4 weeks overdue, but here are some of baby girls 6 month photos.

Can we say adorable?

Clutter Control

Here lately, I've been looking around my house and feeling the need to purge things. A few weeks ago, I ran across an awesome blog, www.theminimalistmom.com, and it has completely changed the way I look at "stuff."  The creator of the blog, Karen, discusses how living with less can actually give you more time, money and space. It sounds simple, but it's a little more complex than that. Every time I read one of her posts, it gives me even more motivation to purge things that are just taking up space in our lives. You see, I've never had a problem letting go of things. I've never really felt an attachment to material possessions like books, or a doll from when I was little, etc. My husband on the other hand, is the exact opposite and it can get very frustrating for me at times to get my point across as to why we don't have to keep every little trinket from our past. After all, we are in the military and have to haul this stuff around every four years until Mat retires. At the end of the day, experiences are what we often remember, not material things.

After countless discussions, Mat and I have made excellent de-cluttering progress over the last week and here is my car, packed to the gills to prove it.

My old prom dress that I let go. Why on earth was I keeping this thing??? haha

This was just the start of our pile, believe it or not. It more than doubled at the end. Oh, and this didn't include the donation pile I had dropped off a week earlier...a whole car load as well. Yikes!

More on the tedious process of going digital with our filing cabinet soon...

Boring Bench Redo

I've had this little wooden bench sitting in my basement collecting dust for about three years now. I bought it from the Christmas Tree Shops for $25 and originally used it for a coffee table at some point back in the day.

(Before shot: Please ignore the green painters tape :)

I wasn't too happy with the ikea shoe rack we had in our front entry, so I decided I would spruce this bench up a bit and use it instead.

With some spray paint (grey primer, white & glossy black) painters tape, and patience. I came up with this:

Now we have a cute little spot to place our junk as we come and go. :)

Noggin' News

Today was Felicity's bi-weekly helmet appointment and we received the best news...she only has to wear her helmet for 3 more weeks and not 8 weeks as we were originally told!!! I was so excited when I heard the news that I had to hold back my tears of joy before I looked like an idiot. :) You see, this helmet has been a huge part of our lives over the last couple of months and it's going to be wonderful, yet a little odd to see our baby girl without this thing on her head 24/7.  She has literally had to wear this helmet everyday, for 23 hours a day. It's almost become a part of her and we don't even really notice it anymore. I surely won't miss the constant removal for clothing changes, cleaning it everyday,  poor F's sweaty head and constantly worrying if she's too hot or if she's developing a skin rash.  I've dreamt of the days where I could just lay with her and kiss her little head without having to worry about this chunky block of plastic being in my way.

The decision to have Felicity wear this helmet was very hard on me in the beginning. The first day she wore it I was so angry and torn. I just wanted to burn it and I regretted our decision immediately after we got home from our first appointment. Luckily, I had my other half (Mat) to talk me into going through with it because at the end of the day, it's what's best for our daughter. Of course I always want what's best for her. I just didn't want my beautiful baby girl to have to wear this hunk of plastic and have random strangers gawk at her like she's a mutant from outer space. Most people we've encountered don't even mention the helmet but others have given rude stares and it makes you want to punch them in the face. People are just ignorant and have no idea what the helmet's about. That's just something that I've had to accept over time.

As trivial as this helmet may seem to some people, it's always a bigger deal to the parents and children who have to go through it. There is a plagiocephaly support group of over 3,000 members on the Babycenter website dedicated to lending a shoulder for one another going through the same situation. No one wants their child to be considered "different." Most people say that they don't care what others think, but deep down, we all know that's not the truth. It's sad, but true.

We are so blessed beyond measure to have this wonderful, healthy baby in our lives and I'm sure this is just one of many bumps in the road of parenthood that we will encounter. Good thing Felicity had her helmet for this part of the journey! ;)

Going Insane...

Not literally. Mat and I have been doing the "Insanity" workout program and we just started week two yesterday. Let me tell you, it is TOUGH and you have to mentally prepare yourself before each workout. Going from someone who has never worked out in her life, to picking up running a few months ago, to starting the Insanity program...I really think I've lost my mind! There is just something inside of me that clicked a few months ago. A little voice in the back of my mind that said, "Get moving!" I just want to be healthy and feel healthy for once in my life, and I never want to look back. Having a child has changed me, mentally and emotionally. Life is not just about me anymore. It's about sticking around as long as I possibly can for this beautiful little person we created and whom I love more than myself. Since the beginning of the year, we've completely changed our eating habits and the results speak for themselves. I am officially back in my pre-pregnancy jeans! A few months ago, I thought that would never happen. Of course we still eat our Domino's once in a while, and indulge here and there...that's life. But I can definitely say that we've made significant progress in our eating habits and exercise regimen. I'm so proud of our accomplishments thus far and I can't wait to see the results of the Insanity program after week 8!

On another note, Mat officially finished his Master's degree last week and his diploma should be here soon! It's been a long two years of evenings and weekends lost with school work, but it was so worth it in the end. Mat has accomplished so many things since the start of his Air Force career and I couldn't be more proud of him!!

In baby news, according to her 6 month checkup, she weighs 16.4lbs and is 27 1/2" long. If she keeps growing at this rate, she's going to be taller than me by the time she's 5. haha No really though, she's repeatedly in the 90th percentile for height, so only time will tell how tall she'll really be. The greatest news of all is that she is healthy. What more could parents ask for?

We also had her 6 month photos taken over the weekend and they turned out super cute! I will post some pics when they arrive next week!

Life is good.

Baby girl and her super cool "helmet" hair. :) 

Drunk Bum Baby

What is a drunk bum baby you ask? It's what baby's daddy likes to call her! Why, you ask? Because she has every characteristic of a drunk bum:
- she spits up everywhere...all day
- she barfs all over herself & her parents
- she falls flat on her face while sitting at meal time
- her hair is always disheveled (due to her helmet & totally not her fault)
- she babbles all day and we can't understand a word that comes out of that adorable mouth
- she constantly wears mismatched socks (this is due to her mommy, who also wears mismatched socks...I swear socks vanish into thin air around here so I just grab and go!)
I'm sure there are more, but you get the point.

Our baby is officially 6 months old today and we just can't believe how fast she is growing up! She's definitely "talking" more and we get a kick out of every "word" she says. That's what being a new parent is all about, right?

Current likes:
- Her puggy, Bailey! If Bailey is around, Felicity eyes do not leave her. Bailey loves to give F smooches all over her face too...kinda gross. Sisterly love...
- Carrots! (The 2nd food F has liked so far. It seems to be only orange colored foods at the moment.)
- Bath time

Dislikes:
- Peas! (So far, green foods aren't up her alley.) Wah wah...

I wasn't joking about the socks.

Baby girl in all of her 6 month glory!

Word.