Update on the Insanity

Oh yes, the insanity continues; however, it's dwindling down slowly but surely now that we're in our new house. The move is over and done with for the most part, although we still have a few things at our old house that we need to move over. Pictures will be forthcoming. We hope to have curtains in the next week or so which will make a big difference. Of course the decor is still far from perfect, but I'm accepting the fact that it's going to take time to get things the way we like it.

We have managed to have some fun in between all of our recent craziness. It's October, which means State Fair time, which means that I'm one happy camper. We introduced B to Big Tex this year and pushed her around in the Bob. She was a champ and looooooved her first corny dog.




This is one of my favorite pictures and totally shows who she is - laid back, taking her paci out of her mouth to chew on it instead of suck on it, with her tiny toes curled around the stroller bar in front of her.


For K's birthday we made our first mini vacation to Possum Kingdom Lake. While B did have a breakdown on the way out there, for the most part she stayed on schedule and took great naps and slept really well in her pack and play. I'm sure you can tell by my really tan skin that we've been out in the sun a lot this summer. I hope my golden glow stays through the winter.


And lastly - here's a close up of her 2 teeth that are popping in. Yowza.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!!

4 Months Old

Height: 26 cm - 95th percentile
Weight: 13 lbs, 7.5 oz - 50th percentile
Head circumference: On a piece of paper in her diaper bag in her room where she's currently napping. To be honest I've never understood the significance of this stat...

--B's 4 month doctor's appointment went well, although her vaccines left behind some serious welts this time.
--Surprisingly, her bottom left tooth is already in with the adjacent tooth about to pop through any day now. She continues to drool nonstop and puts anything and everything into her mouth.
--Her hair color is turning a little lighter, and her eyes are still beautiful blue!! Mine were blue until at least 18 months (maybe longer?) then turned hazel-ish.
--Still loves bright colors. Is becoming increasingly aware of her surroundings and reaches out for toys, books, anything in front of her unless she gets distracted by something else.
--She's rolled over from tummy to back, but not back to tummy quite yet. I get so excited when she reaches each milestone, but a feeling of bittersweetness follows as I realize once again how quickly she's growing!!

Picture Update

New favorite chew toy? Her toes:


Love this spunky grin!


Talking to Uncle Bubbie on Skype while sitting on top of the computer desk in her Bumbo. He missed seeing her in her sunglasses!!


Tummy time and drool - the perfect combo:


Love that grin when she wakes up from a nap!

Random

1. I need to get my hair cut. K likes it short. I do too, but miss being able to put it in a ponytail if it's too short. Plus I can't stand the stage where it gets half stuck in the back of my shirt collar.
2. I think Luvs are the best diapers out there. We've tried Pampers and Huggies, but Luvs are extremely absorbent and are my running fave at the moment. While they do not have the dirty diaper indicator line, I have to say that the quality for the price is superior to all other brands.
3. B and I spent some time in the hall closet tonight for fear of a tornado striking the big D. After she started coughing I realized said closet was likely full of who knows what kind of mold and dog hair, so exited promptly. Thankfully the tornado missed us.
4. Moving puts me in a bad mood.
5. My new favorite breakfast is Boost. Yes, the drink for old people. Is super easy, tasty, chock full of vitamins and minerals, and fills me up. We've been out for a while, so I've resorted to Lara Bars. Still satisfying, but not nearly as much as a Boost. Both are usually supplemented by a glass of tea and a mid-morning brownie.
6. I am obsessed with putting frames around the plate mirrors in our new house. Don't ask me why. One night I lost a whole bunch of sleep over it. K tells me it will be 6 months before he's able to work on this project as it is not a priority relative to the rest of the items on our new house to do list. He is a good man for managing my expectations, but still - oh how the mirrors need frames!
7. Can you believe that ATT U-verse is not available at our new house? Oh darn.
8. My new favorite discovery is the drive thru teller line at the bank. I don't think I've ever used this feature until now. It is the BEST. Especially when you have a baby. And there's something so gratifying about hearing the whooshing sound as you hit the send button and the cylindrical container flies up the tube into outer space. Love it.
9. I made meat loaf and corn on the cob last night for dinner. And it was GOOD! I don't think K was as proud of it as I was, although he assured me he liked it. The secret to boiling the corn is to put sugar in the water along with some salt. And for the meatloaf I used a glaze of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and honey. Mmmmm.
10. Is it weird that I burp almost every time I'm trying to burp B? I'd like to answer yes to my own question. Burping aside, she's still my favorite:

B's reaction...

...when I told her we were almost out of peanut butter M&M's:


Time to make a Sam's run!!!!

A Smile :-)

The Bowens are stressed. I'm not gonna lie - having a baby, renovating a house, and having a husband switch jobs all at once is too much. K thrives under pressure; however, he admits he's reached his breaking point. Did I mention we have too much on our plate? Yet there's nothing we can do about it now as we find ourselves in the thick of it all except to persevere and endure.

And cling to the edge of the cliff with our finger nails.

I'm exaggerating - a little. In retrospect we couldn't really have changed the timing on any of it, and once we get settled things will be worth it. We are both so ready to have a clean and organized new home. We started packing this weekend. By started packing I mean loaded up a whopping 2 boxes of books. At least that's 2 less that we'll have to pack in a week when our house is done...

In the past I kept a journal. In Microsoft Word. Typing out my thoughts is way simpler and quicker than writing with pen and paper. I've said this before, but documenting my life in general provides a written reminder of the ways in which I've grown and changed over a year's time. I used to look back and think, "What did I do this year? What did I learn? How did I change and grow as a person?" Not having a good answer to those questions often made me feel like I wasted a whole year. Being able to read my thoughts and see the obstacles God brought me to / through and how He changed my heart provides much comfort and encourages me to continue trying to live life to the fullest for another year.

SO - all of this said, I went back through the archives in my blog, mostly to see how far we've come. Instead of finding deep, heartfelt lessons that I'd typically write in my journal, I found several great posts that made me laugh. Smile. Not think about all the things on our to-do list at the moment. Just what I needed. In no particular order, these are my top 3 favorites:

"Arbuckle Wilderness...Wow! What a Difference!"

Calling All Verminators

Who says dogs don't smile?

And of course, this little girl always brings a smile to my face!